


Hero's Hero

by bigwolfpup, TiBun



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bottom Kotetsu, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Lemon, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mystery, Permanent Injury, Romance, Top Barnaby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2018-06-03 09:14:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 101,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6605218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigwolfpup/pseuds/bigwolfpup, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/pseuds/TiBun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barnaby had always been very close with his parents, particularly his mother as he grew up, despite the long hours they often worked, and they both supported him greatly in his dream to follow in his hero's footsteps and become a hero himself. Seeing him not only make it into the Hero TV ranks, but be assigned as the partner to Barnaby's hero Wild Tiger, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks couldn't be more proud of their only child as they watch him grow alongside his new partner.</p><p>Well, until one fateful night...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UnknownPaws](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownPaws/gifts).



> Disclaimer: We do not own any recognizable characters; only explore the possibilities.

They say you should never meet your hero; the role model you look up to most if they are famous, because they never turn out to be the person you thought they were. Barnaby always liked the concept, but once he was got the chance to be introduced to the super hero, Wild Tiger, he just couldn’t help but be excited about possibly working alongside his childhood hero.

It all started when he was ten. At such a young age and with both of his parents so busy working, Barnaby was a rather depressed child. Try as he may, he never could get the emptiness in his heart to go away. But soon, that was fixed when he was introduced to Hero TV, a show that his schoolmates had been raving about. He decided to check it out, and he was so glad that he did. It was there, that first episode even of Hero TV that he watched, that he was introduced to the sleek, new hero, Wild Tiger.

Wild Tiger quickly became his favorite Hero, and it wasn't just because it turned out the man had the exact same NEXT powers that Barnaby had recently discovered he had. There was something more to him, something sincere to his act that went far and beyond all the fame and glory that came from being a Hero TV star.

Watching every episode after that, Barnaby began to practice using his power. He did it in the secrecy of his lonely room at home, where no one would disturb him when the door was closed at night. He would copy the moves Wild Tiger performed, and though he may have knocked over a few lamps in the process, he improved in his skills, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

Barnaby’s parents saw his potential, and as soon as he was old enough, the young blonde was put into the NEXT academy. The more he practiced, the more his long-time fantasy was sure to come true to one day be Wild Tiger’s hero, a hero’s hero. The fantasy stuck with him until he graduated from the academy and was trained even more to become the perfect hero. Maverick oversaw the whole plan, and he was very pleased with how Barnaby performed.

Then, on that fateful day, Barnaby was called to Albert Maverick. Items were discussed, plans were arranged, and the right strings were pulled, and before he knew it, Barnaby was riding in a limo with Maverick from his apartment on the Gold stage of Sternbild to Apollon Media to meet up with Doctor Saito. The time had come to meet his hero, and Wild Tiger had become more than just a hero to Barnaby. Every piece of Wild Tiger merchandise that had been released had at least one copy owned by Barnaby, though he would never admit to it. A good Hero image was needed for this big debut, and asking for Wild Tiger’s autograph was not the desired outcome of the event. The world didn’t need to know just how big of a Wild Tiger fan Barnaby was.

"No one knows about you." Maverick was saying, going over some files in his hand, his briefcase balanced upon his lap, "We haven't even told the producers of the show that tonight is the night. Those who know you will be joining the Hero lineup thinks you will be announced later at the next event a few days from now. None of the heroes have been told that there is to be a new hero joining them at all, so your first impression tonight is very important. Show them and the city that you are a hero to rely on."

“I will, Sir. I promise, I won’t let you down tonight.” Barnaby turned his head to look out the window of the limo, a smile across his face. This was it. This was the night he was going to meet his hero, and in quite a bit of style too. He was excited to see what this Doctor Saito had cooked up for him in terms of a suit.

As it turned out, the suit was quite impressive, and it wasn’t only Barnaby that though so. His parents were impressed as well, and they both patted the blonde’s back in a congratulatory manner.

“We’re so proud of you, Barnaby. Good luck out there!” Barnaby’s mother, Emily, kissed his cheek and hugged him tight, and his father did the same.

 

* * *

 

Wild Tiger was embarrassingly impressive as always, his sleek, muscular form clad tightly in spandex as he ran across the monorail track and took pause before activating his Hundred Power, his entire body glowing blue, and the rails twisting and distorting at his touch as if he were playing with a piece of pipe cleaner. The train stopped and the Hero burst through the window—only to discover the criminal had jumped across to a passing airship.

He leapt across in pursuit, only to turn around and run when a rocket was fired at him.

The cameras cut away, showing the King of Heroes, Sky High, rescuing citizens from falling to their death, and then to another Hero, Blue Rose, as she caught the airship in a gigantic fist of ice.

With the sound of a gun shot, the cameras switched back to Wild Tiger, who was pulling the bullet out of his shoulder as if it were a piece of lint. He jumped, the leap impressive as he moved to recapture the suspect—only for his five minute time limit on his powers to run out and with a cry of realization, he began to fall to the icy ground far below.

The Apollon Media van had pulled up at just the right time. Barnaby was sent out in his new suit, though only a prototype. The blue eyes of the suit flashed bright as Barnaby saw his hero fall to what quite possibly could have been his death, had it not been for the blonde jumping into action. He dashed across the ice as fast as his hundred powers would let him, and he jumped to catch Wild Tiger in midair.

He landed heavily on the ice, cracking it a bit as he held his precious hero in his arms. He was glad the helmet shielded his face, because his eyes were wide and his breath hitched in his throat. That is, until Wild Tiger uncovered his eyes and looked right at him.

_Oh my god, he’s looking at me…_

"Hu? Who… are you?" Wild Tiger asked, his confused tone hiding nothing of his relief at having been saved. Without his power activated, he would have taken on way too much damage, and he knew it.

The older hero then stiffened, his eyes going wide as he realized he was being held princess-style and the cameras were circling them, wondering who this masked man was. Cheeks flushing under his cloth mask, Wild Tiger wiggled, hoping to be set down.

“The guy who just saved your life.” Barnaby looked up at the criminal NEXT who was shooting at Blue Rose, and he snapped out of his fanboy trance. “Oh yeah…”

_Come on, focus!_

Barnaby shot off towards the criminal as Blue Rose did her cutie escape. He leaped onto the ice and pushed off forcefully with his hands; kicking his foot out and slicing it clean through with his foot.

Wild Tiger was left sitting on the ice and watching the newbie take down the criminal and hand him over to the police, successfully stealing not only his thunder, but all the heroes' spotlight.

The veteran hero pushed himself to his feet and he rubbed his rear which had fallen quite hard on the ice when he'd been dropped. He then made his way over to Barnaby, studying him as the faceplate of his helmet lifted to reveal the face of an angel. Soft, perfect pale skin, blond fringe across his forehead, stunning green eyes, and a soft, yet cocky smile upon pink lips.

"Hey, what's your affiliation? You're a free agent but you decided to stick your neck into this? What's the big idea?"

"Does it matter? We made the arrest." Barnaby blinked.

"Anyway, a hero should never remove his mask in front of other people! Heroes _never_ reveal their identities." He preached, holding a finger in the air like a teacher making an important point to their class of unruly students.

“Do you talk like that to everyone?” Barnaby turned to the hero clad in blue and white, and let his smile disappear for a slight bit. “I hope you know times are changing, Old Man.” The young hero turned on his heel and walked away from Wild Tiger. As he turned, his eyes widened greatly and his breathing quickened.

“I can’t believe I said that to him…” he said to himself quietly. He looked down at the ice as his face heated up, embarrassed that he had practically insulted his hero. Talk about a great first impression.

 

* * *

 

The end of season Hero TV award ceremony was held a few days later, all the heroes were lined up on stage for the final tally of points and the awarding of the title of King of Heroes for the next season—which to no surprise went to Sky High _again_.

When the cheering and chanting of Sky High's continued rein of King of Heroes subsided, Maverick took the podium, smiling out at the crowd gathered to watch the event live.

"There is someone I'd like to introduce, officially, onto next season's Hero TV." The old man announced in a clear voice, "This person's involvement will bring on some new and exciting changes! But before I get to that, lets meet him, shall we?"

The man gestured to stage right where Barnaby, clad in a suit and that same smile from days before stepped out, greeting the crowd with a wave. All eyes were locked onto the handsome young man in his early twenties.

"This is Barnaby Brooks Jr. You may remember him from the last episode of Hero TV. He has been officially approved by the justice bureau to be the new and promising hero protecting Sternbild!"

He paused to let the crowd cheer; screams of women's approval filled the air.

"When he activates his power, his abilities become a hundred times more powerful! They stay active for only five minutes and then he requires an hour for them to recharge before he may use them again."

"Hu?" At the end of the line of heroes, Wild Tiger stiffened, a look of realization dawning upon his masked face as he studied the rookie.

"Yes, Barnaby shares the exact same powers of one of our other heroes," Maverick continued, "But he is young!" The man looked at Barnaby and his tone took on a teasing manner, "So try not to end up another hero in need of saving."

The room erupted with laughter, and Tiger grimaced, crossing his arms. It wasn't his fault he'd been caught by this rookie! He could have saved himself! Tiger looked away, sulking at the jab to his pride. Maybe he should just go. He had showed up for the important part and the rest was just useless celebrity stuff. He wasn't into all that when he could avoid it.

"I'm leaving." He said, turning to go, but Rock Bison, who stood beside him, caught his shoulder, holding him in place.

"This brings me to the changes I mentioned earlier!" Maverick continued his speech, "And this will come as a surprise to all in this room—including our new hero. After discussing things with our sponsors, we have decided to try something never before done in the history of Hero TV! A partnership—a duo of heroes. Barnaby will not be working alone, but rather with a partner we feel will be a strong ally, and he'd be the perfect foil to!"

The screen behind the heroes changed from displaying the final count of points to an expertly edited image of Barnaby and Wild Tiger together.

"The Super Duo will be known as Wild Tiger and Barnaby!"

"What?! No one cleared this with me!" Tiger gasped.

As much as he tried to hide his excitement, Barnaby was literally screaming on the inside. He, Barnaby Brooks Jr., the partner of Wild Tiger? This was going to be the best hero career of his life. Well, his only hero career, which made it all the more exciting.

Barnaby flashed a small smirk at Wild Tiger and chuckled. “I guess I have someone to keep in line now.”

The crowd laughed at his comment, and he laughed some too. His gaze lingering on his hero though was getting a bit ridiculous, so he quickly looked away before things got awkward.

Tiger growled, hunching his shoulders, "They could have at least told me this was their plan…" he mumbled.

"Hey, maybe this will up your popularity and points." Rock Bison smiled under his helmet at his best friend, patting his shoulder.

"Those things don't matter." Tiger huffed, "I never worked with a partner before. We're bound to only get in each other's way and make fools of ourselves while the rest of you swoop in to grab the points.

"Maybe, but maybe not." Bison shrugged.

Wild Tiger sighed, slumping forward, "I'm going now."

"At least try to get to know your rookie before the evening ends!" Bison called out after his friend.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Seeing the older hero leave the stage so suddenly made Barnaby feel a little empty almost. He didn’t like the feeling; it was almost like what he imagined losing his parents might have felt like. Which, remembering his parents were at the event, Barnaby made a mental note to find them after he spoke to his new partner.

 

* * *

 

Barnaby managed to catch Wild Tiger before he left. “Excuse me, Wild Tiger? Are you going to the after party tonight?” He flashed the same smirk as on the stage.

_Play it cool, Barnaby…_

"Wasn't planning on it." Tiger said, pausing in his step to look back at his partner, "Fancy settings aren't really my thing, and I normally get ignored, anyway. I usually just go home." He moved to slip his hands in his pants pockets, forgetting that his hero suit didn't have any.

Barnaby chuckled a little. “Well would it kill you to stay a bit tonight? I’m sure the public would like to see us together for the first time. Plus you could meet my parents.”

Tiger quirked an eyebrow at that, "Just how young _are_ you?" he asked, "Not that youth is a bad thing. A number of heroes are younger than the public assumes. Blue Rose is in high school, for example."

“Come to the party tonight and I’ll tell you.” Barnaby turned away from Tiger and began walking away. “I’ll be waiting for you tonight. Meet me at the beginning of the red carpet.” With that he took his leave, and as soon as he turned the corner and was out of Tiger’s sight, he jumped a little and laughed to himself.

“I can’t believe I’m his partner now!”

Tiger sighed, "Great, watch him be some kid close to Kaede's age that just looks more mature… Kids grow up too fast these days… Kaede better stay cute for a few years longer!" He pined to himself as he continued on his way to get changed out of his hero suit.

But maybe Bison was right…he _should_ get to know the kid he would be working with before they got in each other's way… He didn't have a proper suit, though, having not planned on going to the after party. He sighed as he entered his changing room and got into his normal, every-day clothes.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, Barnaby waited near the beginning of the red carpet, talking to his parents about the surprise partnership. Many laughs and smiles were to be had, but Barnaby was getting slightly anxious waiting for Tiger, and he wondered if the older hero would even come at all.

Finally, a taxi pulled up, which contrasted with all the limos that had been pulling in and out all evening to drop off heroes, CEOs, and other people of importance. The door was opened and Wild Tiger stepped out onto the red carpet, his black and white mask in place upon his face. He wasn't dressed up like everyone else that had arrived. Though he didn't look _bad._ He supported a green button-up with three-quarter sleeves, a white vest, a tie with buttons lining it, dark grey pants, white and black oxfords, and a watch and bracelet upon his wrist. His hair was a dark brown, lightly spiked in the back with long fringe falling over his forehead, angled off to the side. He closed the door to the cab and watched it drive off before he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around, spotting Barnaby and making his way over to him. "Hey, kid."

Barnaby turned to Tiger.

_Holy crap…_

“Hello, Tiger. I… didn’t expect such an outfit from you.”

_But it looks so good on you…_

Tiger shrugged his shoulders, "I did tell you I hadn't planned on coming, so I didn't have my suit ready to change into and I don't exactly live close by."

“Well at least you came. I’ll give you credit for that.” Barnaby turned back to his parents and smiled at them. “These are my parents, globally recognized for their work in robotics.”

Emily smiled at Tiger. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Tiger. My husband and I have been watching you since you first debuted.” She reached out to shake his hand.

Tiger smiled, taking her hand and placing a simple kiss to her knuckles like a gentleman before giving Barnaby's father a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you. I hope your son and I will work well together. I don't know about him, but I'm not used to working with anyone. It'll take some getting used to."

“Oh what a pleaser!” Emily blushed a little at the kiss to her hand. Her husband smiled and put an arm around her.

“Yes, I’m sure our son will do us some good out there. He’s got quite a few good skills with his power, so you’d better watch out. He might surpass you.”

The Brooks’ laughed at Barnaby Sr.’s comment, and Barnaby Jr. was given a strong hug by both his parents, causing his feet to leave the ground for a few seconds.

"Maybe, but I still have a few years left in me before I'm ready to let some kid leave me in the dust!" Kotetsu laughed, "So I won't make it easy on him."

The hero glanced at his now partner, "Though I still say you shouldn't have showed off your identity so easily. Keeping it secret helps protect your privacy and your family in case someone with a grudge decides to target you."

“I’m not too worried about showing my identity to the public. It’s not like I have horrible skills to hide my face from, for example.” He smirked and winked at the brunette.

_What the hell, am I flirting with him?_

“Now, shall we go inside? I’m escorting in my parents, so you can go ahead of us.”

Kotetsu nodded and walked ahead of the family down the fan-lined carpet and into the after event where he took advantage of his partner's new popularity to slip away to the bar.

Barnaby took his time with his parents going down the red carpet. Cameras flashed and fans screamed out their proposals for marriage and children; the likes that came with celebrities who were attractive and pleasing to the eye.

Finally they all arrived to the party, only to be bombarded with the same treatment, of which Barnaby didn’t seem to mind at all. He was enjoying all the attention, but what he really wanted was to talk to Tiger more. The man was, after all, his hero.

As he usually did at such events, Tiger found himself being passed over in favor for more popular heroes, leaving him free to sit at the bar, nursing his drink. The hours passed by, and he, making sure not to let himself get drunk while his mask was on and he represented his hero persona, was on his third drink, his silver wedding band clicking against the cold glass as he picked it up and turned around to watch those enjoying the party.

Barnaby was soon spotted in the center of a crowd that rivaled the one that Blue Rose always attracted. He watched without expression as the blond smiled politely and responded to each person desperate for his attention.

"Not for me." He shook his head. He'd received such attention when he was the new, young, and promising hero years before, and he'd hated it. He was treated more like a famous actor or singer when all he had wanted was to help people. It hadn't lasted long, though. At least, it had felt that way after everything in his personal life had set its course.

With a sigh, he tipped back the final swallow of his drink and set the glass aside upon the polished bar top before he pushed himself to his feet, deciding to rescue his partner for a little before he headed home early. Barnaby didn't seem to mind the attention he was getting, but Kotetsu thought he'd offer it regardless.

He weaved his way into the crowd of women and some men until he reached Barnaby's side, reaching out to touch his shoulder to get his attention.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but I need to steal the star of this show for a moment." He smiled.

The young blonde turned in surprise, but then smiled at Tiger. “Ah, I suppose we should get to know each other a bit better.” He turned back to the women around him and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, but I do need to spend time with my partner at this party too.”

The girls all protested, but did nothing more than that as Wild Tiger pulled his more popular partner away and out onto a balcony for privacy, closing the doors behind them.

"I figured you would like to give your cheeks a break from smiling so much." He said as he stuck his hands in his pockets and moved over to the ledge, looking out over Gold Stage.

Barnaby took a deep breath, and, probably to his partner’s surprise, he groaned as he slouched a lot. “All this publicity is great, but the girls are brutal sometimes.”

He stood back up and smiled at Tiger. “Well I suppose now is a good time to get to know each other better. Where should we start first?”

"Well, you'll find out anyway…" Tiger shrugged, reaching up and pulling his mask off his face. "I'm Kotetsu T. Kaburagi." He introduced himself, holding out his hand.

“Glad to meet you formally, Mr. Kaburagi. You already know my name, so I guess saying it again is useless.” He laughed a little and shook Kotetsu’s hand. “So, uh, well I don’t really know how to proceed with this. I’m used to answering the questions, not asking them.” Barnaby went a little red in embarrassment.

"You owe me your age. You said you'd tell me if I came tonight." Kotetsu pointed out.

“Ah, true, I did. To be honest, I didn’t think you’d show tonight. I’m currently twenty-three. My birthday is in October though, so I’ll be twenty-four soon.” He loosely crossed his arms. “Might I ask how old you are now?”

Kotetsu's cheeks flushed and he glanced away, "It's really no secret that I'm middle-aged." He sighed, "I have been working as a hero for thirteen-fourteen years or so… I'll be thirty-five come February."

“Thirties are not middle aged, trust me. My dad is middle aged. He’s sixty-four.” Barnaby chuckled. “Don’t feel bad about your age. I’m sure there are a few other heroes that are around your age.”

"Rock Bison." Kotetsu nodded, "Or—Antonio. He and I became heroes together and were college buddies…hell, we practically grew up together. Nathan is closer to our age—that's Fire Emblem—but never ask him his age. You may just get burnt. Sky High is older, too… But the others are all practically kids. You could be included in that, too—though I think Ivan is older than you a little but he looks more like a kid than you. I don't know…I'm starting to confuse myself. I'm assuming a lot on the ages of the other Heroes. I know a few for sure, but the others I'm not so sure on. We don't really talk about that kind of thing…I could be setting myself up for trouble here." He laughed at himself.

“Wow.” Barnaby laughed at how much his partner had just rambled off. “You’re a talker once you get going.”

"Sometimes." Kotetsu shrugged.

“Well, do you have anything you love to talk about? Wife? Kids?”

Kotetsu got quiet, his smile fading as he turned away and looked back out over the city below.

Barnaby cringed a bit. He didn’t mean to make his partner upset about… whatever it was he was upset about. “Sorry, did I say something bad?”

The older hero shook his head and placed his mask back on his face, "Let's just talk about…something less personal." He said, slipping his mask back on his face.

“Alright… Uh, sorry for that.” Barnaby looked out over the city and took a deep breath, then smiled. “So do you like being a hero? Like, really like it?”

"I can't imagine where I'd be if I wasn't." the man nodded, relaxing again next to his young partner. "My powers are for helping people, and being a hero allows me to do that—saving people, bringing down those who harm others to face justice in court… I've dedicated my life to it."

He turned and looked at Barnaby, the breeze blowing his hair across his forehead as his eyes watched blond curls bounce around pale cheeks, "Why did you want to join the hero lineup?"

“Oh well… I don’t know. My parents saw how good I used my powers, and they took advantage of that. They sent me to the NEXT academy to improve my skills, and now here I am.” He smiled at Kotetsu.

Kotetsu frowned, "Do you at least _want_ to be a hero, kid?"

Barnaby’s smiled quickly disappeared. “Well, yeah I do. It’s entertaining isn’t it?”

"It is…" The man sighed and turned to face Barnaby head-on, "But this job is dangerous. Heroes get hurt—or worse sometimes, and if your heart isn’t in it, you could get…sloppy. Being a hero may make you famous, but if all you want is to be famous, you'd be better off in show-business. Just because Hero TV exists, doesn't mean this is all staged. The show gives us exposure and sponsors so that we can afford to save the city when things go wrong, like buildings get damaged, but that's it as far as I'm concerned. It's just a means to the end."

He reached out and placed both hands on Barnaby's shoulders, "I would like to know your heart is into this job if you are going to be my partner. I want you to take the time we have before next season starts to do some serious thinking on why you want to be a hero—what your brand of justice is and if you are serious about doing this job. I'd hate to see a promising young man fall because he's on the wrong career path for himself."

“Don’t worry, Old Man.” Barnaby smirked, perhaps at an inappropriate time. “I know my heart’s in it. You can count on me to be a trustworthy hero and partner. After all, I know a lot of your moves and tricks when it comes to fighting crime. I’ve watched every episode you’ve been in.”

Barnaby shot a hand over his mouth, eyebrows raised so high they would have touched the clouds if they weren’t attached to the blonde’s face.

"Then you are probably horrified that I'm your partner." Kotetsu smirked, "Don't worry; I'll try not to take you out with me when I slip up."

“No, no! I meant… well…  I just admire your style, and… I used to practice those moves when I was younger.” Barnaby’s face was quickly turning bright red.

Kotetsu blinked dumbly for a moment, "Wait…" he pointed at Barnaby, "Were you actually a Wild Tiger fan?"

“Ah, well… yeah, I was.” Barnaby shrugged and sighed. “Couldn’t help it. My parents watched you all the time, so I had to with them.”

"When you were little, right? Ah, I guess I was more popular back then… Well! Not that it matters! Fans and fame isn't what I'm in this for, anyway. It only really bothers me when I'm there to save someone and they tell me they'd rather risk waiting for Sky High…"

Barnaby cringed. “Ouch. I bet that’s a real stab in the back.”

"Well, he _is_ the King of Heroes…and I do have a certain lack of grace at times these days…"

“I bet you could get some grace back. All it would take is a little work.” Barnaby lightly patted Kotetsu’s shoulder. “Tell you what, how about we do some training together until the next season? I’d get us in shape, but also it would improve your skills again.”

"…You're one of those kind of guys to work out every day, aren't you?"

“Uh, well yeah. I find it rather enjoyable.”

Kotetsu slumped his shoulders, "This isn't going to be fun…" he muttered to himself.

Barnaby chuckled a little. “Oh, we’ll make it fun. We can do whatever fits right in our body’s needs, and then we take that and turn it into something that is more exciting, like fighting criminals in a simulation.”

"…Rather go to the bar…" Kotetsu muttered and sighed. He'd been partnered up with this rookie for a reason. They probably could learn a lot from each other, and maybe a proper training schedule was what would be beneficial to him in this partnership. "When do you normally start training?"

“Well I don’t know… Let’s say we start next week?”

Kotetsu nodded, "What time?"

“Eight A.M. sharp on Monday. You should have plenty of rest by then…” Barnaby looked out towards the city and smiled. “Yeah, eight sounds good.”

"…So early…" Kotetsu sighed in defeat and turned to leave, "Alright—I'll see you Monday, I'll probably be a little late—oh!" He paused and looked back at Barnaby, holding out his hand, "Let me see your cell phone."

Barnaby pulled out his phone and handed it to Kotetsu. “Don’t worry, once we start working out, it’ll be easier to get up earlier.”

Kotetsu put in his number, having to pull out his own phone to look it up, then he sent Barnaby's number over to his own phone to be programmed in later before handing the sleek red flip phone back to the blond. "I know we have our call bands—or you will soon—but sometimes phones are better at getting a hold of each other." He shrugged before waving, "See you Monday. I'm heading home."

“Ah, wait!” Barnaby reached out to grab Kotetsu’s arm. “Um, would you mind staying for a few drinks?”

"…I've already had three." Kotetsu shook his head, "I shouldn't have any more while in the mask. I do have an image to upkeep."

“Oh, ok… well, have a good night then, and I’ll see you Monday.” He smiled and winked at Kotetsu before looking out at the city once more.

_Why was he winking so much at this man?_

Kotetsu gave a nod and left Barnaby alone on the balcony to enjoy some fresh air before he went back inside to face the crowd a while longer before the party came to an end.

* * *

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

With a yawn, Kotetsu shuffled into the locker room and over to his locker to change into his workout T and shorts early Monday morning. As he had predicted, he was a good fifteen minutes late, and assumed his young partner would be already warmed up and ready to go. Kotetsu, however, was less than thrilled by the idea of such an early work-out, and he allowed himself to take his sweet time in getting ready before heading out to the gym and weight room provided to the heroes of Hero TV.  He stretched as he walked through the glass doors, his sweat towel draped over his left shoulder.

Barnaby was waiting on one of the treadmills, dressed in a rather worn looking pair of black shorts and a t-shirt with the sleeves and sides cut out. He looked up from his phone when Kotetsu came in, and he smiled.

“Morning Sleeping Beauty. Did you rest well?”

"I was—until my alarm interrupted." Kotetsu groaned, sitting on the floor to stretch his muscles a bit before he got up and joined Barnaby.

“You should fix that alarm then,” Barnaby joked. “Alright, so this morning I thought we’d test out our abilities a little. That way we can figure out what we need to focus on in our training.”

"Whatever you say… I normally just lift weights until I'm bored." Kotetsu admitted with a shrug, stretching his legs by spreading them and leaning forward.

“I think you should be working on improving your arm strength. They seem to be the body part you use the most in combat.” Barnaby gestured to his god-like legs. “I use my legs a lot, so I work them the most.”

"That’s why I lift weights." Kotetsu pointed out, pushing himself back up and flexing his biceps, "Keeps them in shape."

Barnaby chuckled a little at the brunette showing off some. “Well, before we do any special work outs, let’s start by running a little.” He turned to the panel on the treadmill and put in the settings he wanted. “Ten minutes of running is a good start for now.”

Kotetsu finished his stretches and stepped onto the treadmill next to his partner, setting his setting preferences before starting to jog as the belt moved under his feet.

Barnaby wanted to talk more, but he found it hard to come up with a topic that wouldn’t be awkward while they exercised. So he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Workout continued like that; in silence as they moved from area to area in the work out room. Until finally Kotetsu broke the silence as they finished with weights, "Didn't you say you wanted to do a stimulation to see how we work together?"

“Yeah, I figured we could do that tomorrow. Like I said, today is just finding out about our own strengths. Tomorrow we’ll work on teamwork.” Barnaby set down the weight he had in his hand and smiled. “But as for today, we had a great secession! It’s almost 10, a solid two hours this morning.”

"In that case, up for an early lunch?"

"Sure." Barnaby took his towel and wiped off his forehead. "First, though, showers." He headed off to the back of the facility to the locker rooms.

"Obviously." Kotetsu smirked, "I didn't shower this morning because I knew we'd be working out. I really need it."

Kotetsu held open the door for his partner to walk through. He had to give the kid credit; he worked hard to maintain his body. More than he did, himself.

Showers were taken rather quickly, but it was at least 10:30 before both were dried off and clothed once more. Barnaby ran a hand through his still damp hair as they walked out into the sunlight of the day again.

“Do you want to go someplace casual? I didn’t bring any other clothes to change into.”

"Why not?" Kotetsu asked, lightly smacking his partner on the top of his head from behind with a folded newspaper he hadn't gotten to read that morning. "The shower didn’t do you much good if you just put on those sweaty clothes again! Ah, not that it matters to me much. Come on, I'll show you my favorite street vender. Great burgers and dogs."

Barnaby slightly dodged the paper, laughing as he did so. “Hey, easy Old Man. I usually go home after I work out.” He followed Kotetsu, shouldering his backpack with his towel and water bottle.

"You still should have clean clothes to change into." Kotetsu lectured, a finger pointed up in the air.

“Well, then maybe you can help to remind me tomorrow.” Once again Barnaby laughed, bumping his elbow against Kotetsu’s.

"Shouldn't that be your parents' job?" Kotetsu asked, glancing at him.

“I’m twenty-three; I know how to take care of myself.”

"And yet here you are in smelly work out clothes after you showered." Kotetsu smirked.

“Whatever.” Barnaby shoved Kotetsu playfully. “At least I took a shower.”

"And you'll need another one when you get home." Kotetsu said, catching himself before he fell over, "So obviously—eh? Hold on a moment."

The older hero pulled out his ringing cell phone, his face lighting up when he glanced at the contact displayed on the front and he eagerly took the call.

"Kaede! What a surprise! You never usually call during the day! This makes d—hu? Ice? Oh! Yes, off course! No, I didn't forget. That's this Saturday, right? Yeah—No, I didn't lose my ticket it's at home clipped to my calendar! I definitely won't miss this one! Hmm? –Of course I won't skip out, I hardly get to see you at all! I promise I'll be there this time! But—wait a moment, shouldn't you be in—oh…I see." Kotetsu sighed, "Alright, I'll let you go now. Work hard, Sweetheart. –Bye."

He hung up the phone and pocketed it with a sigh. The phone conversation hadn't lasted long enough for him, but his daughter had called between classes and had to get to her next class.

“That your daughter?” Barnaby smiled knowingly.

Kotetsu shot Barnaby a confused look, wondering how the young man would know he was a father. He kept his private life private, after all.

“Ah, well… it was just a guess… you know, by the way you talked to her.” Barnaby quickly looked away, hiding his red face.

"…She's eight…" Kotetsu sighed, "She doesn't know I'm Wild Tiger…It keeps her safer not knowing… Until now, only Antonio knew about her—He's her godfather after all. If anything happens to me…He'll take care of her…"

“Well I don’t think anything will happen to you now that I’m your partner.”

"Hold off on that confidence until we know how well we work together, kid." Kotetsu said, reaching over and ruffling Barnaby's damp curls.

Barnaby rolled his eyes and smiled. The two made do with small conversations as they walked to the food vender Kotetsu had mentioned. Upon arrival, the blonde could tell that what he was about to eat was going to be delicious, and he was right. He chose to have a hot dog, though when he saw it had pickles on it, he picked them off once the two heroes had settled down on a bench to eat.

"Hey—hey! Don't just pick off toppings like that! It's rude! Besides, you should eat your pickles! It's good for you." Kotetsu said, leaning over to grab the pickles and put them back on Barnaby's hotdog.

“No, wait! I can’t eat those!” Barnaby pouted just a little and smacked Kotetsu’s hand away. “Are you nuts?”

"It's good for you!" Kotetsu insisted.

“No it’s not. I’m allergic to the vinegar in them.” Barnaby picked off the pickles again and offered them to Kotetsu. “If you want them, you can have them.”

"…Idiot, if that's the case you should order without! The juice seeps into the bun a little!" Kotetsu said, sounding more like a father.

"It's only a slight allergy. I can handle the juice; I just can't actually eat them. They upset my stomach." Barnaby sighed and took a bite, cringing only slightly at the taste of the pickles.

Kotetsu eyed him, but said nothing as he added the pickles onto his own hotdog and took a bite.

The meal went by quicker than Barnaby would have wanted, but not eating the pickles struck a chord with Kotetsu. They ate in silence, and Barnaby moved to throw his trash away once he was done. He sat down next to Kotetsu again and pulled out his phone, looking at the number the brunette had put in it.

As he was gazing at the number, his phone began to ring and vibrate in his hand.

He stared at his phone for a bit, then silenced the ring. He pressed the button to answer the call, and held it up to his ear. “Hello?” He looked over at Kotetsu.

A very loud voice assaulted Barnaby's ear, "THIS IS DOCTOR SAITO. I NEED YOU TO COME TO MY LAB. I HAVE FINISHED YOUR SUIT."

Barnaby quickly pulled his phone away from his ear from the loud voice. He put it back to his ear to respond. “Great timing. I was just done eating, so I’ll be over soon. I’ll bring Tiger with me too.”

"GOOD. THAT SAVES ME FROM TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF HIM." Came the loud response.

Kotetsu was watching Barnaby, and when the blond hung up, he made his comment, "Your dad mad at you for staying out too late last night or something?"

“No, that was Doctor Saito. He called to say my suit was ready. I expect yours is too.” Barnaby pocketed his phone and stood up. “As soon as you’re ready, we’ll go.”

"Mine? But I already have a suit…" Kotetsu blinked, gathering his lunch trash to be tossed out.

“I suppose you have a new one now.”

Kotetsu pouted, pushing his lip out stubbornly, "But I like my suit…I don't need a new one…"

“That old suit couldn’t protect you from anything by today’s standards. Maybe it was ten years ago, but times are changing.” Barnaby nodded his head in the direction of Apollon. “Now let’s get going before we get yelled at.”

"But mine was the coolest hero suit in the line-up!" Kotetsu sulked, "…I miss it already…"

“Come on, I’m sure this suit will be much better. It’ll protect you better in combat.”

Kotetsu glanced at him, "I still like mine, it makes me feel the part of a hero. I couldn't wear something like the kids these days wear for hero work."

“Sure you could. You’d perform a lot better in a suit like mine. Which, by the way, my prototype suit was created by Doctor Saito. He’s really creative when it comes to suits.”

"But you gotta admit, I look good in my suit, don't I, kid?" Kotetsu pressed, draping his arm around Barnaby's shoulders.

“I did grow up seeing you in that suit. But I think it’s time for a change, Old Man.” Barnaby smirked and winked.

"That's not what I asked you!"

Barnaby laughed. “Let’s just go check the suits out.”

The two heroes walked to Apollon, where they met with Doctor Saito on one of the higher floors of the building. Barnaby didn’t have any fear of heights, but when he thought about just how high up they were from the ocean, his mind spun. He tried to focus more as Saito began to speak.

Kotetsu cupped his ear and leaned in, training to hear the short man's words as he spoke on the way to his lab, finally giving up on hearing the man. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked out the windows they passed until they were led into the lab where matching armor was on display.

Barnaby's was easy to know. It looked just like the one he'd shown up in, only painted red and pink rather than black. Kotetsu's stood next to his, white and green, its faceplate designed to look somewhat like a tiger's head.

"…It matches yours…" Kotetsu muttered, circling the two suits.

“And they both look great! You did a great job, Doctor Saito.” Barnaby turned to Kotetsu and smiled. “It’s cool, right?”

"…A little." Kotetsu admitted.

"I CAN SHOW YOU A DEMO TO PROVE HOW MUCH BETTER THIS IS THAN YOUR OLD CRAPSUIT." Saito said suddenly with a contraption strapped to his head that magnified his voice.

Barnaby flinched a little, but he chuckled at the short man’s comment.

"It's not crap…" Kotetsu pouted but nodded and allowed the scientist to give his demo. By the end of it, however, Kotetsu was excited to try his new suit out.

Barnaby was also excited to try out his new suit. “Hey, are we allowed to take these for a test drive? I’d like us to get used to them before we start the next season.”

Saito nodded, "IT WILL ALSO BE GOOD TO MAKE SURE TIGER'S FITS CORRECTLY. I WAS UNABLE TO DO FITTINGS WITH HIM AS I HAD WITH YOU. PLEASE TRY THEM ON. I'LL GIVE YOU TWO HOURS TO GET USED TO MOVING AROUND IN THEM. PLEASE GET THEM BACK ON TIME."

Barnaby nodded and looked at the suits, then back at Saito. “How do we get them on? Is it the same as my prototype suit?”

The man nodded, "PLEASE ASSIST WILD TIGER INTO HIS THIS FIRST TIME."

“I will, thanks Doctor Saito.” Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu’s arm and drug him to a back lab where the under suits were stored.

After a while and several tries by Kotetsu to get into his suit, both heroes were clad in their new suits, shimmering in the lights of the lab. Barnaby had left his helmet off so he could tie back his hair. He figured in the future he would leave his hair down, but he felt more comfortable with the helmet on if he had his hair at least pinned back out of his face.

Kotetsu was over looking at himself in a mirror, admiring how cool he looked in the new suit. "It's a bit bulky in the shoulders, and it's heavier than I'm used to moving in, but it's not super restricting like I thought a suit like this would be…"

The blonde smiled at his partner. “I told you it would look cool. Saito did a good job in making these suits lightweight and easy to fight in. My prototype suit was much heavier than this.”

"Yeah?" Kotetsu picked up Barnaby's helmet and turned it over in his hands, "…Reminds me of a bunny…"

Barnaby shrugged. “I guess…” He tied his hair back while responding to Kotetsu’s comment.

"Bunnies are cute." Kotetsu shrugged, holding out the helmet for Barnaby.

He took the helmet and held it for a while “Are you saying I’m cute then?”

Kotetsu grinned, "Well, your hair tied back like that even looks like a Bunny's fluffball tail!" he nodded, flicking the blond curls.

Barnaby blushed a little and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I’m not a bunny.”

"You sure, Bunny?" Kotetsu chuckled before he closed his face plate on his helmet.

“I am quite sure, I’m not a bunny.” Barnaby put his helmet on rather rough and slammed the face plate down over his eyes.

Kotetsu shrugged and turned away, "Let's get used to these suits."

The two heroes went to the simulation room and waited for the environment to fire up. The environment they were placed in was rainy and cold, though the cold didn’t reach them inside of their suits.

Kotetsu took a look at the scene set up for them, "Looks like your basic bank robbery…a team of five, armed—try not to get shot, Bunny." Kotetsu said with a nod.

“I feel like I should be saying that to you.”

"Hey, I've been doing this for years. You're new. It's my job to look out for you, rookie." Kotetsu insisted.

“I don’t know if I like all these names you’re calling me by. Pick one and stick to it.” The younger hero went and hid behind some rubble, calculating the situation through his helmet.

"Fine, fine, but I stand by what I just said. If you want that to change, then prove that you can handle yourself like a pro hero. Prove to me you aren't just a kid." He gestured to the fake robbers. "Show me you are my equal in this partnership."

“Alright, then pull your weight and help me out!” Barnaby moved out of the way just in time as the simulated robbers shot at him. They continued shooting, and Barnaby nearly bit the bullet several times, too many times to be called comfortable.

"Careful, Bunny!" Kotetsu called out his reminder as he ran around the opposite way to corner the 'robbers' in hopes of bringing them down fast to make their 'arrest'.

“You be careful! Look out!”

One of the robbers shot at Kotetsu, letting loose a hailstorm of bullets.

"I'm fine!" Kotetsu said, twisting and dodging the hail of bullets with practiced ease until he took cover on the other side of a dumpster.

Barnaby looked directly over at Kotetsu, then at the robbers. “Almost wish I had a gun of my own.” He jumped at one unsuspecting robber and took him down to the ground, pulling him away from the others and away from being shot.

"You don't need one." Kotetsu said firmly, "Heroes don't kill. We make arrests." He waited until the bullets stopped for reloading and then stepped out, shooting his wire out and watching it wrap around one of the robbers and he pulled him to him and set him aside, tied up. "Three left."

Barnaby quickly took out another robber, setting it next to the other robber he caught before. He looked to Kotetsu briefly. “Let’s take out the last two together. Get them cornered.”

"I've a plan." Kotetsu said into their built in intercom that allows them private communication. "They are close together; we can nab then both at once. On the count of three, I'll jump out and shoot my wire out. Catch the leading end and we'll wrap them together and disarm them."

“Sounds good to me.” Barnaby moved into position near the robbers and got ready.

"One…two…" Kotetsu watched the two robbers closely, gauging the best time to move, "…three!" He jumped out with powers activated, shooting his wire across to Barnaby.

Barnaby caught the wire, grunting a little at how fast it zipped against his gloved hands. He gripped it tight, and he activated his power to jump over to Kotetsu, then around once more to round up the robbers.

Kotetsu cried out his catch phrase "Wild Roar!" as he ran around in the opposite direction, tying up the targets and then yanking them off their feet, their guns falling  to the ground.

"Whoo! I always wanted to try that…"

The guns were scooped up by Barnaby as he went around the robbers once more. He pulled the wire tight as he came to a stop, and it was almost like he struck a pose when he finished.

"You're a show-off, Bunny—Agnes is going to love you."

“O-oh, I am?”

Barnaby let the wire slacken a little when the simulation started to fade away. “I was just making sure the robbers were tied tight enough.”

"You mean you don't even mean to sparkle like a superstar as you strike impressive poses?"

“No…”

"…You really could be anything you want…" Kotetsu muttered as the simulation ended and he lifted his face plate to gaze at his partner. Maybe he was getting old…he certainly didn't ever look that good doing hero work, and he got the feeling that he'd be standing with one foot in his new partner's shadow once they returned to the streets for official crime fighting.

Barnaby lifted his mask and smiled. “Well, that was a great simulation. We should do more of them, maybe after our work outs every day.”

"… _Every_ day?"

“Yeah, every day. You didn’t think that we’d work out every few days did you?” Barnaby chuckled a little. “We need to stay in shape for the season. Besides, we’ll be working out every day once the season starts anyways. Why not get used to it now?”

"But—I'm an old man! You'll tire me out for when I'm actually needed!" Tiger protested in hopes of not having to work out every day.

“You’ll work up to it. Once you get past the first few days, it’ll be a breeze.”

"But I like to enjoy my free time…" Kotetsu sighed. This was definitely the reason he was paired up with Barnaby… Torture.

“You’ll have plenty of free time. Like now, I’m done with you for the day. You can get as far away from me as you want now.” Barnaby shrugged and took his helmet off, heading for the door out of the simulation room.

"You say that, but I'm needed in the Apollon building. They are putting me to work there, too."

“Well, I suppose that’s not my problem.”

"It is—they want you to do it, too." Kotetsu pointed at the blond.

“We’d better get going then. Let’s get out of these suits.” Barnaby headed out the door and to the changing room where they would switch back to their normal clothes.

After having some trouble with his suit, Kotetsu quickly changed back into his normal clothes and replaced his hat upon his head.

"Hey, Bunny, want to carpool? Saves on gas."

“Sure. Sounds like it’d be fun.” Barnaby smiled and chuckled.

"I'll drive." Kotetsu said, pulling out his keys.

“I was expecting that.” The blonde followed his partner to the vehicle, then got in once he was able to do so. He found the car oddly comfortable, thinking he wouldn’t mind having to sleep in it if the need arose.

Kotetsu started the car and pulled out of the parking space, soon getting them on their way to their assigned 'day job'.

* * *

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Kotetsu gave a wide yawn, patting his lips with his hand before resting his cheek against it, watching boredly as preteens danced on ice to instrumental music he had no interest in. He'd promised his daughter he'd be there, and he'd made sure to leave early by his mother's suggestion. But he hadn't been prepared for sitting through song after song without seeing a single hair of his adorable little girl in her dance outfit. It wasn't that the other kids weren't talented, but he just wanted to finally see his own daughter dance and then meet her back stage to give her the roses he'd gotten for her that lay across his lap.

Finally, the music changed and he spotted his daughter take her place to start her practiced routine. He straightened up, grinning at her as he pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures of her.

And then it happened. His heart leapt as he spotted his call bracelet go off, blinking at him that Wild Tiger was needed. He'd have to disappoint his daughter—again. With a sigh, he pocketed his phone and got up to make his way out with the plan that he'd head to the bathrooms and then sneak out the window to head out on his call.

Just as he reached the end of the row, there was a loud rumbling, walls crumbling as a gigantic stone hand crashed through the side of the rink. Screams echoed and shouted as everyone got up to run in a panic, and Kotetsu was given a chance to slip his usual half-mask on. He didn't have his new suit, but at least he could save people.

"Everyone, try to calm down! Don't push! Please safely make your way to the closest exits!" he shouted as he ran towards the hand. He recognized it. The same statue had started to move the day before, but whatever NEXT was controlling it had gotten away. This time, he planned for things to end differently.

Another crash, though significantly quieter, came with Barnaby’s arrival onto the scene, clad in his suit and sticking a landing that would make even the most pristine ice dancers blush in embarrassment of being beaten at their own game. The blonde hero jumped away at one of the statue’s arms swinging at him, and he squared up with it. A powerful kick was delivered to the ice, causing the statue to pause. Then, both hero and statue looked at each other like they were participating in a showdown at noon.

"Bunny!" Kotetsu slid to a stop a few feet away from Barnaby, "You got here fast! I only just got the call right before this thing broke through the ceiling and wall!"

“That’s because I’ve been chasing it down through the center of the city,” the blonde said quietly, as if talking loud would set off the statue. “You only just got the call because I lost control of it.”

Kotetsu frowned, "Why didn't you call me sooner? We are supposed to be partners!" he scolded, even though he knew he was busy with an important personal life event. "You should call me!"

“I didn’t call you because I knew you were watching your daughter perform…I sort of overheard you talking about it the other day.” Barnaby internally beat himself up for telling his partner he had been eavesdropping, as much as he actually hated that he did it.

A surprised look fell across the older hero's face. He'd known that Barnaby had guessed that the call had been from his daughter based on the tone he'd used when answering, but he hadn't thought of the fact that maybe Barnaby would have also overheard his plans being confirmed by her. He'd tried to talk to her in ways to keep his plans a secret. Obviously he had failed in that. And what was more? Bunny had actually respected that he had plans with his daughter. So often people in charge just expected him to give up his plans, his days off, and his special weekends to go visit his baby girl at the drop of a hat should he and the other heroes be called into action. He expected his partner would be the same, even if he knew Kotetsu was a father.

"Oh…that's actually very considerate of you…" he muttered.

Almost as if sensing the moment was getting awkward, the statue started moving again, and this time it lunged at Kotetsu. With a roar it managed to grab the older hero by the shirt and lift him into the air.

Barnaby lifted his face mask with wide eyes as Kotetsu was picked up. He attempted to attack the statue, but his feet slid and he ended up moving further from his target.

"H-hey! This is my only suit! Don't you dare rip it! These things are expensive!" Kotetsu protested, kicking at the giant hand.

It moved back and then swung forward, punching Kotetsu into the wall, crushing him between its large stone fingers and the crumbling wall. A death sentence to most.

However, when the fist withdrew again, a blue glow surrounded Kotetsu and he glared at the statue. "That hurt! Lets not repeat that one!" he shouted, sacrificing his suit and ripping himself away from the fist—his suit already ruined and torn from the impact.

Shedding his jacket, ripped vest, and shirt so that they wouldn't get in his way, Kotetsu started an attack, only to stop dead in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice scream. Turning to look, he saw his own Kaede, still on the cracked ice as the roof above her started to fall.

"K-Kaede!" Kotetsu turned, running to try and save her in time, but even with his boosted speed, the roof seemed to fall too quickly and crashed down atop her.

The world seemed to screech to a halt, Kotetsu tripping over his feet and falling to his knees, his eyes wide. "Kaede..!"

The room was silent. Even the statue had stopped moving, seeming to analyze the situation and what had just happened. It seemed like forever before some of the roof pieces were being pushed away from someone underneath. A few grunts could be heard, and finally a red-gloved hand burst from the rubble.

After some struggling, Barnaby’s helmet appeared, although cracked in several places, and then his neck and shoulders. Next came the small but unharmed body of Kaede, which was pushed out by Barnaby.

With a gasp, Kotetsu ran to the rubble, helping to pull Kaede out of the wreckage. "Are you hurt?" he asked her, almost frantically. His heart hammering within his chest as if he feared he was only imagining she had been rescued.

The girl shook her head as Barnaby pulled himself out, "Barnaby saved me!" she gushed.

Barnaby brushed himself off, lifting the face mask of his helmet so he could see properly, or at least see without any cracks in his vision. He went so far as to take the helmet off completely, tilting his head one way until his neck popped. He groaned with a grimace, but soon relaxed as he saw Kotetsu and Kaede together. He smiled gently.

Kaede flung herself at Barnaby, hugging him. "Thank you Mr. Barnaby!"

Kotetsu shifted uncomfortably and pulled her away from his partner, helping her down out of the rubble, "Please, go out that way where it's still safe and find people you know. I'm sure your family is worried about you." He said, knowing that his mother was also there.

Once she had gone, Kotetsu looked over at Barnaby, "…Thank you."

Barnaby smiled at Kotetsu, knowing the older hero wanted to do more than just express his thanks. “Not a problem. But, I do believe Dr. Saito will be quite upset with me.” He gestured to his damaged helmet and suit. “I suppose it was worth it though.”

Kotetsu glanced away, "I'm not one to care much about damage done…especially with what you did. I'll take the blame if you want."

“No, I’ll take it all. You’ve had enough stress today, so you don’t need any more.”  Barnaby looked back at the rubble, kicking some of it absentmindedly.

"Are you okay to continue?" Kotetsu asked, looking back at the statue which had begun to move again, "We still have a job to finish."

Barnaby sat his helmet down and rolled his shoulders. “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s finish this.” He took off towards the statue, jumping onto it and pulling back on its arm as hard as he could without using his power.

Kotetsu gasped, spotting the NEXT controlling the statue atop its head. A young boy. "I thought so… HEY! You there!" he called out, hands cupping his mouth to make the sound travel further, "This is dangerous! Get down from there, you're hurting people!"

"Y-you're a hero…" the boy muttered, "You'll never understand!" Spotting another young boy around his age cowering in the corner of the wrecked backstage area, he made the statue's hand reach out and grab the boy tight between the massive fingers.

"H-hey!" Kotetsu leapt at the hand, landing atop it and pulling the boy free before leaping away and back from the hand just as his powers exhausted.

"Don't get in my way!" the NEXT boy shouted.

"Why are you doing this?!" Kotetsu shouted, shaking his head as the other boy clung to him in fear.

"It's because…Isaac and the others ignore me! They leave me out and say I'm creepy!" the boy shouted.

The other boy—Isaac—shook his head, "That's because Tony started making toys move on their own! You NEXTs aren't even human, right? Of course it's creepy! Uh—" He looked at Kotetsu who was frowning at him, "Except you Heroes! You guys are cool and help people!" he insisted.

Tony seemed ready to strike out with his powers again but Kotetsu interrupted him.

"You are wrong. We are the same. All NEXTs are human. Tony up there is the same as us heroes, and his powers are for helping people, too." He set Isaac down and looked up at the stunned boy above, "I was about your age when my powers began. All my friends thought I was creepy, too. I hated my powers and cried every day. I was afraid of what I could do. But one day a hero known as Legend taught me something. He told me that my powers are meant to save people…and so are yours! You can be a hero too, Tony!"

"That's impossible…mine aren't cool like yours…"

"What? You're joking! Your power is amazing! Look at you! You can move such huge things like it was nothing! It's how you use your power that makes you a hero, and being a hero is never creepy. You can help people with your power!"

"I…I can?"

"Of course! But first you need to come down and apologize for what you did. Trust me, good guys always say they are sorry when they break things. Go tell the police you are sorry and I can promise you that things will get better soon!"

Kotetsu's speech got through and Tony came down, his head hanging slightly, "I'm sorry…" he said as he approached the police that had arrived.

Barnaby jumped down beside Kotetsu, looking at Tony as he was taken by the police, then turned to the older hero. “You made a good point, you know.”

"Hu?" Kotetsu glanced at Barnaby.

“Anyone who has NEXT powers can be a hero. They just need to be used correctly.”

"Did you not know that?" Kotetsu asked, confused.

“No, I did know. You just said it so confidently, and that kid was really inspired by you. I’ve never seen a kid so inspired by words alone.” Barnaby smiled, blushing even the slightest amount. “I’m inspired even.”

Kotetsu grinned, slipping his arm around his partner's shoulders, "I'm not a useless old man, you know. I—"

A scream cut him off as the glass dome around the rink started to tilt, threatening to fall from its platform high above. Rock Bison and Blue Rose, both of whom had shown up without Kotetsu's knowing, moved into action, finding that it was too heavy for both their powers combined to hold it.

"Tony!" Kotetsu turned and called to the boy talking to the police, "The ski rink is about to fall! A lot of people will be hurt, we need your help!"

"I…I can't!"

"You can! This is your chance to make the right choice and show all your friends you are a hero, too!"

Barnaby nodded in agreement, figuring it was best to let Kotetsu handle the situation. He activated his power and went to Blue Rose and Rock Bison, pushing against the dome with all his might to hold it up.

"Come on, Tony." Kotetsu held out his hand. "Please."

"You can do it, Tony!" Isaac shouted from the crowd.

"Uh…okay!" The boy took Kotetsu's hand and the hero helped get him back up onto the statue faster, just in time to have the boy catch the ice rink before it crushed the three heroes and everyone below.

"Good job…this makes you a hero, too! You saved the day, Tony!" Kotetsu grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

From his precarious position, Barnaby smiled at Tony. He let the rink set back slowly in its original position and breathed a sigh of relief.

 

* * *

 

Kotetsu sighed as he flopped forward upon the table between his partner and himself, the menu in his hands as he held it centimeters in front of his nose. "Today didn't go as planned at all…" he muttered, not really seeing the items listed on the menu. His daughter had called him, asking why he 'hadn't shown up' after promising he would, and of course he had to lie to explain why she couldn't find him among all the other civilians afterwards. And then he had been subjected to her disappointment that his work got in the way again and then, to his dismay, she had started talking about the ' _handsome, perfect, best hero_ ' Barnaby who had saved her. Not a single mention of Wild Tiger—all Barnaby.

"Handsome, hu?" he muttered, lowering the menu and looking up at Barnaby as the young blond hero looked over the selection on his own menu.

Kaede was too young for such silly things like crushes on older men! What was she thinking calling him something like _'handsome'_?

Barnaby looked over his menu lightly. He was hungry, but not starving. Something small to cure his hunger, but his mind was elsewhere, worrying about Kotetsu’s relationship with his daughter. He knew the man had to be upset that he always had to be away from Kaede. Barnaby himself didn’t know what that felt like, but he imagined it was something like being away from his parents for an extended period of time.

After a bit, Barnaby made his decision on what to eat, and he set his menu down. He was surprised to see Kotetsu looking at him, and his eyes widened a little while his face got red.

Kotetsu sat back up and crossed his arms, looking away off to the side, offering up no conversation.

Chuckling a little, Barnaby looked away and sighed. “You did get to see your daughter perform some today right?”

Kotetsu sighed and shook his head, "She had just gotten on the ice when I got the call and the whole show was interrupted. She thinks I never showed up because I wasn't with my mother looking for her when she got down to safety."

“Well I suppose you could have gone with your mother. I could have handled that kid on my own.” Barnaby looked back at Kotetsu. “But I understand, you can’t just leave a scene like that. You have to fight. You feel like it’s your responsibility, and I feel the same way sometimes.”

"Points or no, it's my job to see it to the end when I get the call. And by the time we finished giving our reports; Mom had taken Kaede to head home." He nodded.

“You know, I think you should take some time off to go see your family. Never mind me; I can handle things without you. You definitely need some time with your daughter, whether she wants that time or not. It’s important to keep your family relationships strong.”

"You also aren't my boss. Before Topmag was bought out by Apollo, my boss was understanding and would give me time off, but it often got interrupted. Now our boss keeps refusing my requests…"

“Then I’ll talk to him. You’ll get your time off, I promise.” Barnaby smiled at Kotetsu, hoping the older hero would be gracious of the act.

"…thanks." Kotetsu sighed and leaned back in his seat, looking down upon the ring hugging his finger. Again, he wished Tomoe was with him still, that she hadn't been taken from him and their daughter…

Barnaby’s smiled faded, and he leaned forward and grabbed Kotetsu’s hand. “Hey, are you alright?”

Kotetsu paused, looking at the pale pink hand now covering the silver wedding band. It was comforting…much like Tomoe used to do herself when he was feeling down all those times he'd struggled with something. It was almost as if…

He pulled his hand back suddenly; spooked by his own thoughts and the way they had turned.

"I'm fine." He snapped. He didn't like to talk about his personal problems or life with other heroes. He didn't like to focus on them. Work was work, and his personal problems were personal. He liked to keep that between himself and the bottom of a beer. He'd already shared more than he'd like with this young partner of his.

Barnaby jumped back at the forceful reply, looking away quickly with a hurt look. “S-sorry…”

Kotetsu fiddled with his ring and sighed, pushing himself up and out of his seat before pushing it back in and digging out his wallet to fish out some cash to pay for the drink he'd already had sitting on the table. "I'll just eat something at home." He said as he dropped the bills onto the table and turned to go, fixing his hat back in place.

Of course he knew he'd be skipping out on making something to favor a couple of beer cans—he'd have to pick up some more, he was getting low on his supply of the drink.

Barnaby watched Kotetsu go, sighing and rubbing his face after he had left. Obviously he had done something wrong, but what, Barnaby didn’t know for sure. A bad memory had been brought up for Kotetsu, and Barnaby had no intention of doing so in the first place.

The blonde looked at the money on the table, slightly crumpled up. He placed his hand where Kotetsu’s had been, almost admiring how it was still warm, and he groaned, resting his forehead on the table. They were going to have to have a lot of work together before they got any further in sharing their personal lives.

* * *

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Kotetsu groaned, shuffling out of the lift and to his desk next to Barnaby's. Flopping down in his chair, he cradled his aching head, hair a mess and hat lopsided. He'd drunk more than he had planned, and he was paying the price. Barnaby didn't seem to be there yet, either, which Kotetsu decided was a blessing. Folding his arms on his desk, he buried his face in them, closing his eyes and hoping to finish sleeping off the alcohol.

As soon as Kotetsu had closed his eyes, Barnaby and Lloyds came into the room talking rather loudly about something, though maybe it was the hangover that made their talking seem louder to Kotetsu. Barnaby was smiling at least, so maybe the older hero would be left alone.

Then again, maybe he wouldn’t because Barnaby was smiling.

Barnaby thanked Lloyds before taking his seat at his desk, continuing to chat lightly with the older man before leaning back in his chair. The blonde took a deep breath, and once Lloyds had returned to his office and out of sight, Barnaby exhaled with a loud groan. The smile was lost, as well as the cheery mood that was briefly in the room.

"Hey, you're loud." Kotetsu muttered, turning his head just enough to look up at Barnaby with one eye.

“Sorry… I was only discussing your vacation with Lloyds.” Barnaby said, crossed his arms loosely and yawning.

Kotetsu slid over on his desk and reached out, placing his hand over Barnaby's mouth. "Shh. Head hurts."

Barnaby blinked and then looked down at the finger on his lips. He did remain silent, but brushed away the finger and lowered his eyebrows. After a bit he spoke in a quieter tone.

“Maybe you shouldn't have drunk so much last night then. You reek of alcohol.”

"And whose fault is it that I felt the need to?" Kotetsu grumbled, glaring as he pushed himself up.

“Yours. I only asked if you were alright. You didn’t really expect me to understand you at this point, did you?” As much as Barnaby did know about Kotetsu, he didn’t know much about his personal boundaries, so it couldn’t have been his fault that the older hero went and drank his sorrows away.

"No, you were digging in where you have no place to be digging! You come in out of nowhere with your pretty-boy face and prying hands! I was just fine alone. I never needed you."

The words stung like a thousand angry bees, and Barnaby made sure to express that. “Well, I guess it was no point in me becoming a hero then. If I can’t work with a partner, I sure as hell can’t work alone.”

A bit more forceful than he hand intended, Barnaby stood and slammed his chair back against his desk. “And you’re welcome for your vacation, old man. Don’t waste it being wasted.” With a huff and a forceful shove of hands into his jacket pockets, the young hero left the room.

Kotetsu huffed and turned his back to Barnaby, sitting stiff in his chair. "Aw hell…" He pushed himself up and followed after the younger hero. "Bunny!" As he called out, his call band alerted him, stopping him in his tracks as he looked down at it.

Barnaby also stopped, not being very far away, then ran off towards the lab where the suits were stored. He was quick to get suited up, though Kotetsu was right behind him the whole time. Both were dressed in no time and ready for instructions.

Kotetsu frowned as he climbed onto the sidecar of his and Barnaby's cycle, not quite looking at Barnaby as they took off towards the disturbance they got the call for. "Uh…Listen, Bunny—"

“Not the appropriate time, Tiger.” Barnaby avoided eye contact with Kotetsu and revved the motorcycle, sending them speeding forward towards the biggest bridge in Sternbild, where a massive car pile-up occurred.

Kotetsu crossed his arms, "It's as good as time as any!"

“Okay, what is it then? Hurry up so I don’t have to worry about it while I work.”

"I—I'm sorry, okay? I didn't—"

“You didn’t what?” Barnaby slowed to a stop and hopped off the motorcycle with a sigh. “Never mind, we have work to do.” The blonde ran off towards the cars piled up, rushing to see if anyone was trapped in their vehicles.

Kotetsu slumped his shoulders. He'd let his hangover get to him and had said too much… Now Bunny didn't even want to listen to him. He hadn't really meant that he was better off working alone…but that was how Bunny had taken his careless words.

With a sigh, he jogged forward to the car wreck, searching for anyone trapped inside.

Barnaby quickly busied himself with pulling victims out of the wreckage, most of them being lifeless bodies, unfortunately. The more dead bodies he pulled out, the more depressed he became, and thus the more he should have been left alone.  All those bodies, they had belonged to people who were parts of families. Now they were gone forever, and he couldn’t do anything to reverse it.

To think, losing a family member would take such a hit to Barnaby. He had experienced loss before. His grandparents had passed earlier in his life, and that was mainly because his parents were older than most parents who had a child as old as Barnaby. Barnaby expected the same would happen to his parents if he ever had a child.

But then the call came, grating against Barnaby's ears like nails on a chalkboard. The words sounding more like a small band-aid trying to fix a wound in desperate need of stitches and a doctor's care.

"Bunny! I need your help!"

Kotetsu was a few cars away, lifting one car off another, but the way the cars were stacked prevented him, even with his powers activated, from tossing the car aside. Inside the lower car cried an infant in a car seat, its mother unresponsive in the driver's seat, slumped over the wheel slightly cushioned by the airbag.

Barnaby had never been quicker to respond in his life, hopping over cars to get to Kotetsu. Hearing the infant crying made him work faster, harder, and he activated his power as he pushed his whole weight against the bottom of the car. He pushed hard, and was even more determined once he felt the car move.

"Hurry, my five minutes are almost up." Kotetsu grit his teeth, gripping the car tighter in hopes of holding it up longer, giving his partner more time to get the baby and its mother out.

The child and mother were grabbed quickly just as Kotetsu’s power ran out of time. Barnaby sat the mother down to the side of the wreckage, still holding the crying child. He was afraid he already knew the fate of the mother, and checking for a pulse only proved his theory. With a sad sigh, the blonde held the crying baby closer.

Kotetsu shook out his arms and walked over, "Is he okay—she?" he corrected, noticing a bow in the fuzz of fair hair.

Barnaby nodded, lifting the face mask of his helmet. “She looks like she has nothing wrong, maybe a few minor scratches. Her mother on the other hand…” He shook his head sadly while keeping his gaze on the baby.

Behind his mask, a pained look crossed Kotetsu's face and he gently picked up the woman, "I'm taking her to the medics…"

“Okay.”

Barnaby bounced the child in his arms lightly, careful not to hurt her too much more as Kotetsu ran the mother over to the medics, begging them to look at her—to save her if at all possible so that another child didn't have to grow up without her mother.

The blonde hoped that the mother could be saved, but he had a sinking feeling that the child he was holding would end up motherless. It was a fate that he would never wish upon anybody.

 

* * *

 

With everyone saved and pulled out of the wreckage, the Heroes got to finally retire for the day, walking off to go about their lives. Kotetsu, however, stayed to hear about the mother he and Barnaby had pulled out, the baby in the care of the hospital until her father arrived. The mother hadn't been gone, but they were struggling to save her, leaving the single father hero worried and with a need to know she would be alright.

Barnaby stayed with Kotetsu, also desperate to know if the mother would survive. He knew that Kotetsu was a single father with a daughter, so he had the mindset that Kotetsu understood what the young father was going through.

When the young Father arrived, he stood with his baby in his arms, a grim look on his face as he watched the doors, waiting to hear about his wife—and Kotetsu watched him, emotion clear on his masked face.

Finally, he stood up and walked over to the younger father, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I hope she pulls through for you and your little one."

All Barnaby could do was smile. Kotetsu was an amazing father figure, even though he could really suck as a hero sometimes. He reminded Barnaby of his own father, and the blonde was suddenly very grateful that he was lucky enough to still have his father. A world without Barnaby Brooks Sr. was a dark world that Barnaby Jr. never wanted to face.

The father looked back at Kotetsu, "Are you a husband, Wild Tiger?" he asked.

Kotetsu gave a small nod, "I'm a single father. I lost my wife a few years ago."

"I…had no idea…"

"I don't like to mix my private life with my hero work…but I know what you are going through and I truly hope that you get happier news from the doctors next time they come out to talk to you."

The man nodded, looking back to the doors, "Thank you…for getting them both out…thank you both."

“It was our job to save them. You don’t have to thank us.” Barnaby smiled gently at the young father, who couldn’t have been much older than him.

The man shook his head, "You'll understand that it's more than that, one day."

“Perhaps. But for now, saving people is a part of my job, and it will continue to be as such.”

"It's selfless." The man shook his head, handing his daughter to Tiger before walking over to Barnaby, "What you and the other heroes do…it affects the lives of countless people. I didn't even realize it until I heard about today's accident. I used to think you all were just celebrities…but that's just a side-effect to the truth."

“We’re average people just like you and your family. We just chose to help people instead of stand on the sidelines. I understand what you’re saying because of us saving your daughter and possibly your wife, but really, I don’t see what the big deal is very clearly.”

"Your partner knows." The man said, looking back at Tiger who was cooing and making funny faces at the giggling baby girl. "You will too, eventually."

Barnaby also looked back at Kotetsu and chuckled a little. “Yeah, I’m sure I will…”

Kotetsu looked up at the two and smiled. "She's adorable. Reminds me of my own baby girl when she was little."

The blonde turned back to the young father. “I don’t have a family yet, and really I should have one soon, but I’m not ready for that stage in my life yet. It sounds selfish, but there are things that I want to get right first before I look for my soul mate. And who knows, maybe I’ve found them already but didn’t want to take part in their lives…”

He glanced back at Kotetsu, his heart fluttering a little bit at the older hero’s enjoyment of the baby. He shook his head with a sigh. “I really don’t know at this point.”

"It's different for each person, Bunny." Kotetsu said, glancing up at him, "For me, I was ready right out of college to marry my beautiful wife and start a family. My brother, however is still single and I'm not even sure he ever wants to."

“I guess you’re right… Better to live for the present than the past or future I suppose.”

"But always keep your eye on the future." The father nodded as a doctor stepped out into the waiting room. The man then stopped and hurried over to the doctor, "My wife?"

The doctor nodded, "She's stable, but we will need to keep her for observation and treatment for at least a week." He said simply.

"Oh thank God."

"She is sleeping, but you may go sit with her."

Kotetsu smiled and handed the baby back to her father, placing his hand once more on his shoulder wordlessly before he turned and nodded at Barnaby.

Barnaby smiled at Kotetsu, his mind still wondering what his life would be like if he had met his soulmate already. Nevertheless, the young hero turned to leave the hospital. His mind churned with those thoughts of a family and soul mates.

As they climbed onto their hero cycle, Kotetsu sighed, "Thank you. That woman wouldn't have been saved if I hadn't had your help on getting her out back there."

“Tiger, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I mean, yeah, I saved her life. But me helping you was just impulse. I heard the girl crying and came over as soon as I heard her.” Barnaby shrugged and revved the motorcycle before starting the journey back to Apollon.

"That's not the point." The older hero mumbled, crossing his arms with a sigh and looking away.

“I know, the point is that I saved a life. Yeah, it means a lot. I get it.”

"That's not it, either!"  Kotetsu threw his hands up in the air and turned to look at Barnaby as they came up to a red light, "I was wrong earlier, okay?"

Barnaby sat up and looked down at Kotetsu. “What’s the point then? If it’s not saving people, and it’s not gaining points, then why are we heroes?”

"I'm not even talking about that—I'm trying to apologize!"

“Go ahead then. I’ll listen to you instead, how’s that sound?” Barnaby’s words were snappy and a bit harsh. However, he wanted to get a point across, that he was new and clueless as to why Kotetsu really was a hero.

"Bunny—you idiot!" Kotetsu gave up, climbing off the side car with a huff and moving around into the crosswalk in front of the cycle. "I'm just going to walk home."

“Kotetsu, get back in the sidecar.” Barnaby stood up slightly as he lifted his face mask. “Come on, we’ll talk when we get back to Apollon, okay?”

"You don't even want to listen. I'm tired of trying to apologize to a brick wall."

“Kotetsu, please!” The light turned green, and with a heavy sigh the blonde revved the motorcycle and pulled to the side of the road to disconnect Kotetsu’s side car. He left it there for the older hero as he sped off towards Apollon.

"H-hey! What am I supposed to do with this?! I can't take it home with me! Bunny!" Kotetsu called out after the younger Hero before sighing. Now he had no choice but to go back. With a huff, he converted it into its cycle form and mounted it, riding the glowing green machine down the roads towards Apollon.

 

* * *

 

Barnaby waited for Kotetsu to arrive before he removed his suit. He watched his partner pull up to Apollon, and he crossed his arms. “Well, you can’t go home in your suit. Figured I’d be nice and let you ride back to Apollon.”

"Used to go home in my suit all the time." Kotetsu muttered, removing his helmet.

“You know Saito won’t let you take that suit home.” Barnaby removed his own helmet and shook his head, curls bouncing around his head lightly. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I was still a bit wound up from the call.”

"I would have brought it back in the morning."  Kotetsu ran a hand through his sweaty dark hair, cringing and in need of a shower.

Barnaby blinked, not knowing if the older hero had ignored him. “Uh… Yeah, I… probably would have too…” He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. “I guess we better get inside and change out of these suits…”

The older Hero nodded and led the way up to Saito's labs.

Barnaby could only follow in silence, feeling the tension between the two of them rise quickly. He hadn’t meant to upset Kotetsu, but it had happened, and the young blonde regretted it.

Kotetsu got out of his suit quickly and in his under suit he hurried to the locker rooms where he could shower and change back into his civilian clothes.

Barnaby quickly removed his suit as well and headed to the showers. He set his stuff in a cubby before removing his under suit.

Kotetsu was way ahead of him, very efficient at removing his under suit as it was so similar to his old Topmag suit.  He stood under the hot, steaming jets of water of one of the showerheads in the showering area, fully exposed as he used a bar of soap to wash away the sweat from his skin.

At that time Barnaby remembered that Apollon had public showers, much like a middle school or high school gym would have. That thought made the blonde pause, accidentally starting right at Kotetsu with wide eyes.

Kotetsu tilted his head up, meeting the stream of water, letting it rinse away the soap from his tan skin. The bubbles and foam following the toned curves of his body and swirling down the drain under him. He then lathered his hair and closed his eyes, turning around to rinse the suds out of his dark locks. Finished with his quick shower, he turned off the water and shook water from his face before reaching out for his towel hanging on a peg nearby.

After patting his face dry, he looked up; wet hair hanging in front of his honey colored eyes as he finally noticed Barnaby standing just inside the shower area holding his own towel and supplies.

"I'm finished if you're too shy to shower with other men in the room." He said, misreading the reason Barnaby was frozen in place with his towel hanging in the perfect position to hide his privates.

Barnaby’s eyes widened more and then looked away quickly. “Ah, no, no… It’s not that…” He moved silently to the shower while trying not to stare too much at Kotetsu’s exposed body.

His arms were his best feature, no doubt. The way his shoulder blades curved perfectly into his biceps, it was enough to make Barnaby blush, and then even more so when he caught sight of Kotetsu’s backside.

Kotetsu shrugged and wrapped the towel around his waist before gathering his bar of soap and his shampoo to put them away. He then hurried back to his locker and pulled out his underwear to start getting dressed.

"Hey, Bunny," he called out as he pulled his white undershirt on over his head, "How come your curls always look so nice, even after you take off your helmet?"

“Oh, well I go to the hairdresser a lot.” Barnaby turned on the water and breathed a sigh of relief when the water hit his chest. “I go twice a week.”

"That sounds way too expensive."

“Well I can afford it, so I go.”

Kotetsu shook his head, "Still…"

Barnaby rolled his eyes, then smiled. “You should have an appointment some time… You can get your hair done any way you like. I’ll even pay for the appointment.”

"What's wrong with how I normally do my hair?" The question wasn't snappy, but almost with a childlike innocence about the inquiry.

“Oh nothing, it’s just good to change things up every once in awhile.” Barnaby smirked as he began washing his hair.

"Well…as long as they don't give me curls!"

“I think you’d look good with curls.”

"No way. Too fluffy. Curls are fine for a bunny, but I'm a tiger!" he said, pulling on his pants.

“More like a kitten if you ask me…” Barnaby chuckled to himself.

"Hey, I'm a grown man, you know…"

“Yeah, and you keep calling me Bunny.”

"Your hero suit has bunny ears on it." Kotetsu pointed out with a shrug as he pulled on his socks and shoes.

“Please, more like rabbit ears. Bunny is a childish term.” The shampoo was washed out of his hair and soap spread across his body.

"No it isn't. A bunny is a bunny. A cute little creature with long ears and a fluffy tail."

“Well my suit doesn’t have a tail.”

"Your hair makes up for that."

“Oh, whatever.” Barnaby washed off the soap and turned the water off. He shook his head, water flying off his hair. “Your hair makes you look nothing like a tiger. And that beard of yours is like two kittens on your face. I bet they’re soft, just like real kitties.”

"My beard is my stripes! It's a cool design, not kittens." He corrected the younger as he worked on fastening his tie.

“Kitty beard~” The blonde laughed as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel to dry off. “If you can call me Bunny, I should be able to call you Kitty.”

"The name's Tiger! 'Kitty' is a girl's name."

“So is Bunny.”

"No it isn't. Besides, my…my wife was the one who came up with 'Wild Tiger'."

“Really?” Barnaby moved out of the shower, throwing his necklace around his neck and wrapping the towel around his waist. He moved up beside Kotetsu.

Kotetsu nodded silently, running a comb through his hair before sighing, "She was an amazing woman… too good for me…too supportive… If only she had been a little more selfish…Maybe then I would have been there for her when…"

The blonde moved closer and put a hand gently on Kotetsu’s shoulder. “When what?”

"…When she died… She had been sick for a long time, and when she needed me the most I was out playing Hero…I failed to save her from dying alone…And—" He choked up, tears filling his eyes as he lowered himself onto the wooden bench behind him. "Tomoe…"

Barnaby sat down with him, his hand moving in slow circles. “You were with her every other time… I’m sure she was happy seeing you be a hero in her last moments. She would be very proud of you.”

Kotetsu shook his head, "I wanted to be there. I wanted to hold her hand, for her to feel safe and loved…but I went back to an empty hospital bed… She was gone…"

“I’m sure she felt loved. She wouldn’t have supported you if she didn’t.” Barnaby smiled and sighed. “I know I’m young and don’t quite get love or anything like it yet, but I do know that once someone loves you, it’s hard for them to stop loving you.”

"I know—I just…I miss her…even after all this time… And—And now our little Kaede looks more and more like her mother every day…"

“Do you have a picture of her? Your daughter I mean. I just barely got a glimpse of her at the ice rink.’

Kotetsu hesitated, but nodded. He'd already spilled this much of his personal life…

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to a picture of his daughter's most recent school picture.

Barnaby leaned over to look and smiled. “She looks just like you. How old is she?”

"Almost nine. She's really growing up fast."

“Wow, she’s so big. I bet she loves you a lot.”

"Yeah, she always runs up to me with the biggest hugs when I go home for a visit. Well…she used to. She's getting to that suborn age. It's my dream that she would see how cool her old man really is. But she can't know I'm a hero."

“Well why not? Having a hero as a dad would be pretty cool to me. Why doesn’t she know?”

"It’s for her protection." Kotetsu sighed, "Tomoe and I…we had agreed not to tell her what her daddy does at work until she was older, and even then…I don't want her to worry…"

"Your daughter is going to worry about you no matter what.  Just tell her, and you never know, she might help you in the future."

"It's my job to worry about her, not the other way around. Anyway, she's still way too young!"

"Nine years old is a big age. You can't keep her in the dark forever." Barnaby got up and finished getting dressed. His hair was still a little damp by the time he threw his jacket back on.

"She's my baby girl, and until she is a teenager, she's way too young!" Kotetsu insisted, pocketing his wallet and grabbing his watch and call bracelet to strap back onto his wrists, followed by the beads and then his hat.

Barnaby smiled at the stubbornness of his partner. "If you say so..."

"Listen," Kotetsu stood back up, still adjusting his hat upon his head, "Don't tell anyone anything I told you just now, alright? I really do prefer to keep these things private…"

"My lips are sealed." Barnaby made a zipping motion with his hand and smiled.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow." Kotetsu waved as he turned to head out.

With a small nod, Barnaby let the man leave without any further discussion. He thought it best to leave him alone to cool off after their quarrel. Hopefully it would have been better by the next day.

* * *

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

That night Barnaby stayed up late. All that had happened in such a short period of time had done a number on the young hero. To invade his partner’s personal life like he had… It was unintentional, but it had upset Kotetsu greatly.

Lying in bed, Barnaby let his mind wander over the day. They had a fight, seemed to be over it with the call to the bridge, only to find that the situation worsened. And then to top it off the blonde had seen his partner without clothes. All the fighting was something Barnaby had never guessed would happen, but not knowing the man as well as he thought had a price to pay.

And then there was that _body_.

The tanned skin really topped everything off. The arms were godly. Their curves and firmness, it was all brought together by the hands. The fingers were long and slender. The veins could be seen on the tops of them, and palms looked so smooth and soft.

Kotetsu’s shoulders brought together the arms and torso. The chest was tight but not too huge, the abdomen was well toned and just as tanned as the rest of his body. Then came the legs, which could have been a bit better, but they were still perfect nonetheless. His calves were Barnaby’s favorite—

The blonde sat up quickly, eyes wide and breathing quicker. What was he thinking? Why was he thinking of his partner in such an unprofessional manner?! He had to stop…

But why stop? Kotetsu was a handsome man, even in his late thirties. Though… it was odd for Barnaby to think that way. He shook his head and groaned.

“Pull it together man…” Barnaby cradled his head in his hands. “He’s just your partner, that’s it…”

Just as he thought he had the thoughts under control, the buzzer to his apartment sounded, signaling that someone was wanting to visit.

Barnaby jumped a bit at the buzzer, but he quickly recovered and threw on a pair of shorts before answering the door, rubbing his glasses-lacking eyes.

"Were you about to doze off?" his mother, Emily, asked when the door opened. "Your father's working late so I thought I'd come visit and make you something nice for dinner."

Barnaby blinked. “Oh, Mom. I was in bed but had trouble sleeping.” He stepped to the side to let his mother in to his apartment.

Emily smiled and cupped her son's cheek as she stepped inside, "Well, maybe a good meal with your mother will help with that."

“Yeah, maybe.” Barnaby smiled back and closed the door. “Is Dad working on another big project tonight?”

"Yes. He's meeting with Mr. Maverick about it. Albert is funding this one." She answered as she made her way into the kitchen and set down the paper sack she had brought before removing her purse from her shoulder and setting it aside.

“Then it must be a big one.” The young man went to his mother while rubbing his eyes again, then hugged her.

"Mmh, from what I understand it would involve us bringing back out an old project we had abandoned when you were quite young." She said, kissing his forehead. "How was work today? I'm afraid I wasn't able to tune into Hero TV today."

“Work was… okay.” Barnaby turned away with a sigh.

"What happened?" his mother asked as she started sorting the groceries she had gotten to make dinner with, knowing that tone well.

“We… didn’t quite get off on the right foot today—Tiger and I. All we did was either fight crime or fight with each other.”

"I thought your partnership was going so well…what was the fighting over?"

“Hero work. Tiger has a better understanding about how all this works, and what it’s like to act upon kindness. I guess I haven’t realized that yet because I guess I still act on the spirit of competition.” Barnaby shrugged as he leaned against the counter. “I know which way is more important, and I thought I was following the right way too…"

"You have always been a competitive boy, and that isn't a bad thing. Your ideals about being a hero don't need to match his. He has his reasons for being a hero, and you have yours. What matters is the good you do."

“Yeah, but he was talking from the point of view of a man who had a family… so did that man with the wife in the ER… He was my age even…” The young hero shook his head and looked directly at his mother. “I don’t get it somehow… why I’m not ready for a family yet.”

"Some people like to focus on building a family; some people like to focus on building a career. Neither is the wrong choice, do what feels right for you. Your father and I chose to wait on a family while we built up our names in our field of robotics, and we have never regretted it. When we were ready, we were gifted with the most wonderful son."

A small laugh came from Barnaby. “I’m not that wonderful, Mom. I’m just a normal human.”

"You are my son, and that makes you wonderful. 'Normal human' or not. And your father and I are so proud of you. You really grew strong after all those years being so weak and sick…we had worried about you."

Barnaby smiled again and hugged his mother. “So, you’re here, now what’re we making to eat?”

"I'll give you a guess and a clue. It's one of your favorites that you don't get often."

“Hmmm, well I’ll let myself be surprised. But, I’m going to guess stroganoff.”

"If you wanted a surprise, why did you guess?" Emily laughed, looking through his cupboards, "Where do you keep your pans?"

“Below the sink, to the right.” He pointed to the cabinet door just right of the sink.

She nodded and fished out the pan she needed. "So, anything else new in your new star-struck life?"

“Well…” He blushed a little while rubbing his neck.

She cocked an eyebrow, "Well? Is it a girl?"

“W-what?! No, Mom! We just established I’m not ready for a family, jeez.” Barnaby laughed again and sighed heavily after. His blush darkened a little.

"Family is one thing, dating is completely another."

“I guess you’re right… But yes, I do believe I have a crush… An unexpected one at that.”

"About time! We kept expecting you to bring a girl home as soon as you turned fifteen. You were always so popular; it was a surprise you never did date. So, what is she like?"

“Well, that’s the thing. She…is actually a he.” Barnaby looked down at the floor, keeping a straight face and preparing for what his mother had to say.

"Okay, he then. Doesn't change a thing." She paused in her preparations then to lean in and kiss his cheek, "I'm sorry for assuming. What's he like?"

Barnaby’s eyes widened as he looked back at his mother. “Wait, you’re okay with that?”

"Why wouldn't I be? Though I'm a little sad that I might not get grandchildren later, and you may want to tell your father gently when he's in a good mood." She got back to pressing cloves of garlic, "Anyway, I'm straight, but I was curious back in college…I experimented. So whether this is curiosity or your actual sexual preference, I will continue to support you as I always have. Now, what is this young man like?"

“He’s not exactly young. But he’s nice when he’s in a good mood.” Barnaby tried to think of the best way to describe Kotetsu in a way that wasn’t dishonorable to the veteran hero.

"Come now, you can do better than that. What attracts you to him?"

“Well he is kind of nice to look at... Dark brown hair, tan skin… His eyes are gorgeous. They’re like the color of honey almost.” He smiled a bit. “He rather well built too.”

"Better. Now, how about his smile?"

“It’s beyond goofy, especially if he’s excited. But, when you’re down and upset… his smile is, well, really friendly and warm. I feel like I could get lost in it some days.”

Emily sighed, "Ah, to be young and in love for the first time, again~" She giggled and slipped more prepared ingredients into the pan.

“Hey now, I didn’t say I was in love.” Barnaby laughed and stifled a yawn. “Oh, he’s also Japanese…”

"You didn't have to, dear. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him. But…does Mister Wild Tiger know you have feelings for him?"

Barnaby’s face became extremely red, and he covered his face to hide it. His reply came muffled from behind his hands. “No…”

Emily nodded, "Be careful. Even if he is into men, he is still your partner. You don't want to mess that up. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't pursue this, just do so carefully."

“I know… damn. If only he wasn’t so difficult to deal with!” Barnaby groaned loudly and leaned back until his shoulders touched the counter top.

"I'm sure you are just as difficult for him to deal with." She chuckled, "You two were paired up to balance each other, not to be clones of each other because you have the same powers. You two will figure out that balance in time."

“I sure hope it’s soon.” He stood back up and rolled his shoulders. “Was Dad going to drop by after he was done working?”

"If it's early enough, yes." She nodded.

“Good. I want to talk to him about all this. I hope he won’t be disappointed in me… Do you think he will be?”

"Hard to say. We never discussed the possibility of you being attracted to men. But I know one thing." She set down the spoon she was using to stir the stroganoff and put a lid on the pan before looking at him, "You are his son, and his pride and joy. The day you were born was the happiest day of his life. He would carry you around and show you off to everyone we knew, and random passerbys.  I can't imagine him ever loving you less than he does, no matter what."

“I guess it’s a good thing I was named after him then.” Barnaby smiled with a sigh. “I just hope all turns out right for me. I’d hate for something bad to happen.”

"Just do what feels right. And be a dear and start the rice so we have a base to eat this with." Emily smiled, gesturing towards the unopened bag of rice and a pot of water already on the stove.

The young blonde opened the bag of rice and dumped it into the pot of water. “Sometimes I feel like it’s harder to do what feels right, though. Like, there’s people who disagree and all that, and it just seems harder because I’m a hero. I really do try my best, but sometimes I feel like I might be manipulated in some way.”

"Barnaby-baby, what did I tell you when you told your father and I that you wanted to be a hero?"

“I know, to follow my heart.” Barnaby smiled at his mother. “You two have always told me that. I guess it’s time that I listen now.”

Emily nodded with a smile, "You decide what's right. Follow what your heart tells you and you won't have a problem. Follow your heart, and your father and I will always be proud of you."

“I’ll try my best to do so.” Barnaby hoisted himself up onto the counter and sighed. “Although, my heart right now is all fluttery over my partner… I’ve seen him all my life on TV, so why just now am I happy and flustered around him at the same time? I’m so confused, Mom.”

"Before he was just a celebrity you looked up to and admired. He was a character on TV you never saw in person. Now you have met him, worked with him, gotten to know who he is behind the mask, at least a little. He's real, now. You don't look at him and see Wild Tiger, you look at him and see the man behind Wild Tiger, and you like what you see."

Barnaby looked down at his legs, or at least what were blurs of color, and sighed heavily. “I don’t understand. The role model I once looked up to as a child now catches my eyes. My head hurts just thinking about the turnaround.”

"The heart is a fickle thing, Barnaby, and it changes with time. Once, your father and I couldn't stand each other. We were rivals and nothing more. How, then, did we end up married and so deeply in love that we decided to have a child together, do you think?" she chuckled.

“And I’m wondering how you two ever put up with me.” The young hero laughed with his mother. “You’re both so busy all the time, I thought for sure at one point you two would forget about me. Or course that was when I was little. I know I’ll have both of you around for a little longer.”

"What do you mean by 'a little longer'? You'll always have us!" Emily scolded.

“Mom.” Barnaby laughed more against his mother’s scolding. He couldn’t hold it back when he saw her expression soon after hearing her words.

"It's true." She huffed, "You aren't slipping away out of our lives that easily!"

“I wouldn’t want it any other way, Mom.” He got off the counter and hugged her tight.

"Good. Now, go put on your glasses, I'm afraid you are going to burn yourself, moving around blind like that!"

Barnaby rolled his eyes with a smile and went back to his bedroom to retrieve his glasses, bumping into the wall a few times along the way. He returned with not only his glasses, but a t-shirt on as well.

After some more casual chatting, the food was ready to eat and Emily had her son set the table while she brought the food to it. "Should I call your father to find out of he'll be joining us?"

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be hungry after working for so long.” Barnaby stood near the table, taking in a deep breath to smell the food.

Emily dug her phone out of her purse and dialed her husband, waiting for him to pick up.

After a few rings, Barnaby Sr. answered. “Hello, Honey.”

"Darling! How is the meeting going? Will you have time to join Barnaby and I for supper? We just finished making it, and he's setting the table."

“Amazing timing. The meeting just finished. I’ll be over in a few minutes. At Barnaby’s place?”

"Yes, I believe he also has something to discuss with you." She smiled, "We'll wait for you to get here before we sit down to eat. I love you."

“Love you too. I’ll see you both soon.” Barnaby Sr. Hung up as he got to his car and headed to the area of the gold stage where Barnaby Jr.’s apartment was located.

"Your father is on his way." Emily said, putting her phone back in her purse.

“Great! I haven’t seen the both of you for a few days. I’m glad you came over, Mom.” Barnaby pulled out one of the chairs at the table and sat down. “If I wasn’t so busy all the time, we could do more dinners like this.”

"We are just as busy, dear. But we manage to make time for you once a week…you grew up way too fast."

“Tell me about it.” He rubbed his eyes under his glasses and stifled a yawn. “You two are going home after this right? If you want you can spend the night here, so you don’t have to go anywhere.”

We'll see how tired your father is when he gets here." Emily nodded.

True to his word, Barnaby Sr. arrived at the apartment, seeming to have plenty of energy left over from the meeting. He gave his wife a kiss and hugged his son before sitting down at the table.

Emily took her seat and began to serve the stroganoff. "How was the meeting, dear?"

"It went rather well. Albert said he had most things under control, including the budget of the project. All we need to do is give it our all and things should work out just fine." Barnaby Sr. leaned forward and smelled the stroganoff.

Emily nodded and glanced over at Barnaby, silently encouraging him to speak what was on his mind.

Barnaby swallowed, understanding his mother's encouragement. He looked down at the table before clearing his throat. "Um... Dad?"

"Yeah, son?" The man asked, glancing at the blond as he sipped his drink.

"Uh, well recently I've been paying attention to this one person... More than I usually have..." Barnaby rubbed his neck nervously.

"How so?"

"Like a crush."

"Oh, so we are finally ready for _this_ conversation, are we?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure..." Barnaby flushed deeply and set his hands in his lap.

"Well it either is or it isn't time and you are talking about a crush so it sounds to me like it is."

"Okay, yeah... Um well... My crush is on a... Guy."

Barnaby Sr.'s fork dropped back onto his plate, the man's pale blue eyes widening and shifting over to his wife. She was calm, raising an eyebrow at him as she continued her meal. So she had already been told…

"Well," he cleared his throat, "I can't say that this outcome was hypothesized. Are you sure he's a man?"

“Yes, I’m sure he’s a man. And, he’s my partner… Wild Tiger.”

Senior gasped at his son. "The man's quite a bit older than you, Son…"

“I know, and that’s why my mind has been so confused about the whole ordeal!” Barnaby covered his face and groaned. “I don’t understand any of this.”

"…What sparked this? Did he do anything to you?"

“He was himself, that’s what he did to me, and now I can’t stop thinking about him every waking moment.”

"Does he know?"

“No… And he probably won’t because we had a fight today.”

The man sighed, scratching his chin, "Do you know if he's like you? –Into other men, that is. Or is he already in a relationship with someone? Married, even? He is older, after all."

"He was married, but his wife died a few years ago. And I don't know if he likes guys... Maybe I should just forget about ever being with him. He's still upset at me anyways."

"Hey." Barnaby Sr.'s voice was stern, "A fight is no reason to just give up. Your mother and I didn't raise a quitter! Besides, couples fight all the time—Partners fight all the time. Your mother and I are a perfect example. We are partners and married. We have work related fights and personal fights, but you don't see either of us giving up and leaving! Love and friendship is stronger than stupid little fights. Now, if he isn't into men, then that is a good end to pursuing this crush of yours, if he isn't interested, then that is too. But not a spat."

Barnaby looked up at his father with wide eyes. "But... Dad, I really don't think he'll be into me... It's better that he doesn't know about my crush on him."

"You never know." He pointed at his son with his fork, "You don't have to confess to him, but don’t assume you know who or what other people are into."

"I should know what he's into," he muttered. "I've pretty much been stalking him for the last few years..."

"You have been passionately admiring his work for the last few years." Senior corrected, "You know Wild Tiger. His fighting style, his quickness to save those in danger…you never saw the man behind the mask."

"And now I'm completely obsessed with him. I'm not kidding, go look at my room."

The man sighed, "One hero card, was it?" he looked at his wife, " 'what harm could one hero card do?' you had said. Now look at him."

Emily laughed, "He still has that card. It was his favorite birthday gift that year."

Barnaby blushed a little, knowing exactly where that card was, along with the new Wild Tiger card. Both were right next to his own card.

Senior shook his head and turned back to Barnaby, "Fact is, Son, that you are only hurting yourself if you give up without a fight." He sighed, "Either way…so much for grandchildren…"

“Thanks for the support…” Barnaby finished his meal in silence, hardly listening to his parents talk. He had learned to drown out talk of work, so it all flew past his head as he ate.

 

* * *

 

After dinner had been finished and the small family enjoyed a little more time together, catching up, Emily and her husband took their leave.

"Sleep well, Honey. And don't worry too much about Tiger, okay? Just be yourself." Emily said at the door, kissing Barnaby's cheek.

"Try turning on the old Brooks charm. You never know whose eye you'll catch." Senior winked, patting his son on the back.

“Thanks, Dad, Mom. I’ll try my best.” Barnaby hugged both and bid them farewell before heading back to his bedroom. His shirt and glasses were stripped instantly, glasses set on the night stand next to the bed. Too exhausted to care, he left his shorts on, and he crawled under the blankets with a yawn and a very confused mind.

If Kotetsu didn’t want him as anything more than a work partner, Barnaby didn’t know what he would do. But he would take his father’s advice and use the 'old Brooks charm'. It usually worked with the ladies anyways, so why not his partner?

The young hero soon fell asleep, though not to the thought he expected. If anything, he should have been thinking about his family, but given the circumstances, Barnaby fell asleep to the thought of resting in Kotetsu’s lap with those strong, tan arms around him protectively. What Barnaby wouldn’t give to have Kotetsu like him enough to let that happen one day…

* * *

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

It was rare to see Kotetsu arrive to the office early, even on days when he worked later in the morning, rather than earlier, yet the next day saw the veteran hero bright and early, a coffee cup from a small café down the street from his place in each hand, one of which he set down on his partner's desk for when Barnaby arrived before he took to his own seat, sipping his morning drink as he hit the button to boot up his computer so he could get to work on a couple apology letters he had to write for damage he'd done to public property a few missions back.

Barnaby came in right when he was supposed to start work. He looked extremely tired, as he had tossed and turned in fitful sleep, dreaming of Kotetsu. He wasn’t ashamed per say about the dreams, but he did wake up from one at around 2:30 in the morning and hand to escort himself to the bathroom before he stained his underwear and shorts.

The blonde plopped into his chair with a long yawn, reaching to hit the button to start his computer. As he waited, he noticed the cup of coffee on his desk, and he stared at it with a confused look.

"It's nothing too fancy. I didn't know what you liked." Kotetsu said, sipping his own again, slowly typing with one hand as he leaned back in his chair and looked over his cup at Barnaby for a moment, "But it's to say sorry I was a hungover, difficult partner yesterday."

“Oh, you _were_ hungover…” Barnaby chuckled, ashamed to think that Kotetsu really did hate him after the fight. “That explains a whole lot… In a good way. Thanks for the drink.” He took a small sip, deciding he wasn’t too fond of the flavor but would drink it anyways because it was basically a gift from his partner. It also helped to wake him up slightly from his restless night.

"Did you actually accuse me of being hungover without believing it?" Kotetsu chuckled, "If you think I am, you are probably right. It happens a little too often at times."

“Is that why you wear those beads?” He gestured to Kotetsu’s wrist with the hand holding the coffee cup.

Kotetsu looked down at the bracelet he wore next to his watch, "My daughter gave them to me when she was five. It was a father's day gift she chose herself."

“Oh… well that type of stone is supposed to help drive away alcoholism. I figured that was the reason you got it. Sorry.” Barnaby turned to his computer and logged in, them took another drink.

"Really?" Kotetsu looked at them, frowning as he studied the beads about his wrist. "Kaede chose them because she thought they were pretty…how are they supposed to help with alcoholism?"

“I don’t know, I just read it somewhere…

"Hu… well, they haven't slowed my bottles by much if these beads do that…"

“It’s some spiritual thing I think…” Barnaby turned to his computer and pulled up the browser, searching for amethyst. “ 'A Spiritual Stone, partner in meditation. It brings clarity of mind, calms down confusion, sadness and fear. Since the ancient times it is thought to protect its owner from darkness. It fights various types of dependencies and especially alcoholism.’ Assuming those beads are made of amethyst, that’s what they do.”

Kotetsu blinked at him before letting out a puff of air and looking down at the beads, "That is so like her to do for me without even realizing it…"

“She has to care a lot about you. You could get hurt easily without, you know?” Barnaby closed the browser and smiled at Kotetsu.

"So much like her mother…" Kotetsu smiled to himself, his mind obviously drifting off to a pleasant memory.

The blonde’s smile faded as turned back to his computer. He hated to admit it, but he actually felt a little jealous. It wasn’t right, but the jealousy was there, and it wasn’t very kind towards Kotetsu’s wife. Barnaby physically smacked his face to get rid of the sudden feeling towards the deceased woman.

The action drew Kotetsu's attention. "Realize you forgot something at home or something?"

“Yeah, the right attitude.” He sighed and sat back in his chair a little like a child.

"Hu?" Kotetsu cocked an eyebrow.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about me, I had a bad night.” Barnaby hated lying to himself. He thought it was a wonderful night, just not sleep wise.

"You're my partner, of course I'll worry about you! Here…" Kotetsu  opened a drawer and searched for something inside, finally pulling out a small stuffed bear, warn and old. "You can borrow this! It was mine when I was a kid. Helps me sleep if I'm stressed about something. Don't ask why it was in my desk… Just put it under your pillow."

He took the bear and looked it over. The face was surprisingly comforting, but he had a feeling the bear would only make the dreams and trips to the bathroom more frequent. “Thanks… I’ll give it a try.”

"His name is Yuki. Used to be really white." Kotetsu chuckled to himself.

“Oh? Well he might need a wash then.”

"He is clean! Just old."

“If you say so.” Barnaby smiled and set the bear down next to his computer screen.

"I do say so." Kotetsu nodded and sighed, "Just be sure to take care of yourself. It's hard work being a hero. Mistakes happen, but it's best not to increase the risk by practicing insomnia."

“I couldn’t really help what happened last night. My parents came over for a late dinner. Made me think of some things, so I didn’t sleep as much as I had hoped to.” He shook his head with a wave of his hand. “Doesn’t matter now. I’ll go to bed earlier tonight.”

"Good." Kotetsu leaned back in his chair, "You know, you can talk to me about things if you want. I mean, we're partners now, and…" he trailed off with a shrug.

“I’d… rather not now.” Barnaby swallowed and looked at his keyboard.

"Like I said, if you want. Just make sure it doesn't start to affect your hero work. We have enough problems when we get out there, and it seems, that sometimes it's working with each other." Kotetsu sighed and looked down, "Trust me; it's not good to be distracted out there…"

“I’ve had my share of being distracted,” Barnaby mumbled.

"Well, try to leave it out of the hero suit."

He only nodded, beginning his work that he should have begun as soon as he entered the room. His thoughts were everywhere, nothing really collected, but it was all about Kotetsu, not Wild Tiger. Keeping his distractions away might be easier for him in his suit, but so long as he was out of his suit, Barnaby’s distractions were attacking at full force.

 

* * *

 

As the months passed by, the two heroes started gaining a better understanding of each other's style of hero work, which in turn allowed them to grow closer as partners and communicate better when working together. Their popularity skyrocketed as they climbed the leader board, racking up points together, though Kotetsu let Barnaby claim more points personally. Points weren't his motivation.

Barnaby also learned how to deal with Kotetsu on the darker days when the man was hungover, though he was worried about how often it happened. Kotetsu truly was an alcoholic, and he didn't like how dependant Kotetsu could get on the drink at times. He often found himself wondering how he could help fix that problem for his partner.

"Your father and I saw you on Hero TV today. I'd say you and your partner have been getting along and working together flawlessly lately." Emily smiled as she sat down next to her son.

Barnaby smiled at his mother, leaning against her fondly. “Yeah, we’re doing a lot better at communicating… Well, kind of. I haven’t told him yet about my feelings for him…” The blond sighed and shook his head. “Any other way of communication has been stupendous though.”

"Still have those feelings for him? The woman sighed, petting her son's curls fondly, "After this long, I don't think they'll simply disappear. You have more than a simple crush, my dear."

“I know, but I feel like I can’t tell him, or he’ll just end up thinking I’m weird.” He looked down at his feet. “I don’t know if I could ever tell him. I don’t know, Mom. I’m still confused…”

"Do you think he's straight?" she asked him.

“No, I don’t actually. He was talking with Nathan the other day, Fire Emblem, and he said that Nathan wasn’t his type, not that he wasn't interested, but that he was too tall or something...I think Kotetsu might be bi…”

"Then there is no harm in finding out more."

“But how am I supposed to go about that? I can’t just go up to him and be like ‘Hey, you bi?’ or ‘Hey I’m gay, wanna go on a date?’.” He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I really don’t know what to do, Mom.”

"Well, next time you two are out together at Lunch or something, casually ask him if he's ever thought of dating again. That's a good start that won't hint at anything quite yet."

“I guess… I’ll give it a try. I just hope he won’t think I’m weird when I do tell him I’m gay, and that I like him.”

"I doubt he's the sort of man who would condemn someone for love." Emily laughed, kissing her son's cheek. "Love is the strongest emotional force in this world. Everyone who has experienced it knows that."

“I don’t want our relationship to be any different after I tell him. Or rather, I don’t want our friendship to go away because of my orientation.”

"Barnaby, my sweet baby boy, you know your happiness is what is most important to me. But this is one thing I can't give you. You have to take the risk yourself, I can only give advice." She leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Maybe send him flowers from a 'secret admirer' at the office so you can see his reaction?"

“It sounds like a good idea… But I’m afraid I might say something that clearly gives it away that they were from me.” Barnaby sighed, sitting back. “Why can’t this just be as easy as going up to him and saying that I like him?”

"Is that what you want to do?"

“Yeah, sort of…”

"Then do it."

Barnaby nodded, shaking slightly at how nervous he was to tell Kotetsu. It was going to be difficult, not to mention risky, but he felt in his heart that it was the right way to let the Japanese man know about his feelings.

“I’ll do it first thing tomorrow when he gets to work.”

"That's my boy." Emily smiled encouragingly.

She was about to say more when suddenly Barnaby's phone went off and she leaned over to pick it off the table for her son, glancing at the caller ID.

"It's your Tiger."

“Jeez, what did he do this time?” Barnaby took his phone from his mother and hit the green button that was flashing. “What happened now, Kotetsu?” he asked, glancing at Emily.

"B'nny," Kotetsu slurred, clearly drunk.

“Oh great. You’re drunk.” The blond sighed while standing. “Do you need a ride? Where are you?”

"Los—hey! I's walk'n 'ere!" came the distracted reply, followed by some shouting from other voices in the background. It didn't sound like Kotetsu was still in his usual bar, but rather already wandering about the streets based on the sounds of traffic.

“Kotetsu stay put. Tell me what street you’re at so I can come get you.”

"I's not at a street, I's at a sidewalk."

“Oh my god,” Barnaby said to himself. “I know it’s a sidewalk. What street are you closest to?”

"A dark one?"

“Okay that’s a start. What is the street name?”

"I don'no…sign stolen…"

The blond pinched his nose with a groan. “You’re impossible when you’re drunk.” He turned to his mother. “You up for a tiger hunt?”

"I would, but I have an important meeting in the morning, unfortunately. I should get home to your father, assuming he isn't still at the lab." She stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder, "He called you for help. That means more than you may know." She added before pulling away to pull on her coat.

"Be his hero and get him home safe."

Barnaby’s eyes widened a little at his mother’s words. “Kotetsu, stay put. I’m coming to get you.” He grabbed his keys and followed his mother out of his apartment.

"Use your call bracelet." Emily suggested as she took out her keys, "If he has his on, it'll make finding his location easier. Your father's and my company developed those bands. They have a tracker in them that links to each other. It's not the most advanced tracker, but it'll chime when you start getting close."

“I didn’t know you and Dad helped to develop these.” Barnaby pocketed his phone and tapped his call bracelet, the time being displayed on the screen. “How do I get the tracking on? Or is it automatic?”

"Here," she stepped in and swiped her finger over it until it scrolled to Wild Tiger's name where normally Barnaby could tap it to place the call. Instead, she held her finger over it until a small red dot appeared above Tiger's name. "It's now tracking him. It'll grow dimmer if you get further away and will beep when you get closer. Like I said, it's nothing fancy, the man who commissioned them just wanted an option in case something got too deep over the heroes' heads and they needed help."

“You should look more into it. It’d be a useful feature for things like this.” He sighed and watched the dot as he headed to his car. “Anyways, thanks for coming over, Mom. I wish you and Dad could come more often.”

"You know how these big projects get." She shook her head, "Take care."

“You too.” He gave his mother a quick hug before climbing into his car, focusing on the red dot on his call bracelet. “Alright, Kotetsu. Don’t do anything stupid before I find you.”

Barnaby was looking for a good twenty to thirty minutes before he finally heard a beep from his bracelet. It was a relief to him to finally be on the right track, but it had taken longer than he expected. Still, he trekked on, determined to find Kotetsu as quickly as possible.

When Barnaby passed a certain street, the dot grew dimmer, and he braked. The car was put into reverse until the beeping continued. The blond felt that Kotetsu was close, and he wanted to continue on foot, but this was a dark part of the city, and he wasn’t sure if he was safe to walk about alone.

Still, he was a hero and could take care of himself if something happened, and Kotetsu _was_ alone.

He parked his car and shut off the motor, climbing out and locking the sleek vehicle before continuing down the dark street his bracelet indicated Kotetsu was located. He even called out the man’s name a few times in case he really was close.

The streets in the area seemed like a underground red district. Men and women both working the streets to sell their 'goods' to any who had enough cash on them, drug deals going down in dark corners, fights breaking out outside of run-down bars. How Kotetsu managed to find himself drunk in such an area was beyond Barnaby's guessing. Kotetsu always stuck to drinking at home or at the Heroes Bar somewhat near his house—and normally when he was out, Antonio was with him.

"Come on, how much?" a man's voice drifted to Barnaby's ears, "Money isn't an issue, and you seem new. You can't afford to be picky until you make it big down here."

"No'intrested!" Kotetsu's voice slurred in response. "Grr'off, I's already gots a job not here!" Kotetsu had stumbled along the street, his shirt slightly unbuttoned and untucked, his tie loose, hair messed, and looking at his phone unsteadily as it displayed Barnaby's picture and the message 'Call Ended' before the screen went dark. He'd sighed and shoved it into his pocket before losing balance and stumbling to the side, his shoulder hitting the rough brick wall of a building where he stayed until he cornered by a rich looking group out prowling around for entertainment.

"I can join if you'd rather be focused on a woman~" cooed a woman's voice.

"You won't be disappointed, and I have quite a thing for Asians~ What are you? Chinese?" The woman took Kotetsu's hand and guided it to feel up along her side and cup her breast.

The hero yanked his hand away. "No. I's drink but know I don' wan'na!"

Barnaby strained his ears to hear more of the conversation. He hid himself so he wasn’t caught as he eavesdropped. He felt the need to rush in and help his partner, but things would have gotten ugly if he were to do so without assessing the situation first.

"Come on, we'll pay you plenty."

"I's not fer sale. Just lost." Kotetsu narrowed his eyes, "I's waiting fer my Bunny!"

“Kotetsu,” Barnaby called out as he approached his partner cautiously. “Come on, let’s go home now. You shouldn’t be wandering around like this.”

Kotetsu perked up, "Bunny!" he pushed past the group gathered around him and he stumbled over to the blond.

"Are you his pimp?" one of the men asked Barnaby.

“Ah… no?” Barnaby caught Kotetsu as the man stumbled into his arms. “But we’re leaving now.”

"Ah, too bad, he would have been fun to play with."

“What makes you think you would have gotten to in the first place? I wouldn’t have let any of you do anything to him.” The blond smirked as he pulled Kotetsu back to his car.

"Bunny, my head hurts….dink too mush…"

“Well once we get to my place, you’re drinking some water and going to bed. You did drink way too much.” He opened the passenger side door and carefully helped Kotetsu in.

"Maybe you shoul've joined me…"

“I’m not a heavy drinker. I wouldn’t have any fun.” He got in on his side and started up the car with a sigh. “Kotetsu, you could have gotten hurt. Why were you all the way out here?”

"Lost." Was the simple answer.

“Clearly.” Barnaby put the car in drive and took the Japanese man to his apartment. He had to halfway carry Kotetsu to the door and sat him in the lone chair in the front room. “You stay there. I’m going to get you a glass of water.”

"Sorry…taking up yer'time…" the man muttered.

“I wasn’t busy with anything. You’re fine.” As he was returning from the kitchen with a glass of water, Barnaby remembered the way his room was, covered with Wild Tiger items, and he promptly shut the door to the bedroom and locked it, in case the brunet got any ideas to wander about. He handed Kotetsu the glass, careful that the man didn’t spill any water on himself.

"Mm—But Bunny is young an should be goin on dates with pretty girls." Kotetsu muttered after sipping the water. "Not take care of old drunks…"

“Ah…” The blond flushed with wide eyes. “I-I’m not m-much into g-g-girls,” he stuttered.

"Girls'r into you…Bunny's popular with the girls…Kaede really likes Bunny, too…" he pouted.

“W-well… I should think there could be a few… g-guys interested too…”

"Eh?"

“Nothing…” Barnaby headed back to the kitchen and splashed some water on his face, leaning heavily on the sink. “Good god, I can’t let him know…” He felt odd, like he would pass out from fear, but also saddened a bit. Maybe he couldn’t tell Kotetsu after all…

In the other room, Kotetsu set down the glass and stretched, yawning before he reclined back and closed his eyes, hat falling off his head onto the floor.

First thing in the morning… that’s what he had promised his mother. In the morning, he would have to tell Kotetsu. Barnaby sighed and dried off his face before returning to the front room, finding the older man stretched out over the chair rather awkwardly. Barnaby went silently to pick up both the fallen hat and the glass.

The water was taken back to the kitchen but the hat held for a minute longer before it was put on the coat rack next to the front door. The blond unlocked the door to his room and stepped in, closing the door behind him and taking a deep breath. His heart pounded in his chest, scared of what he would have to do in the morning. Still, he had to do it, and he knew he would feel better once he got it off his chest.

* * *

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Kotetsu awoke feeling the aftereffects of the night before, his head pounding as he groggily shifted in the chair and cracked open his eyes to the unfamiliar apartment. With a moan, he pushed himself up and looked around.

Not home…not Antonio's…so where?

In the kitchen, Barnaby was working on making some breakfast, not much, but enough to get him and Kotetsu going for the day. There was also a pot of coffee brewing on one of the counters.

Following his nose, Kotetsu stumbled his way to the kitchen, holding his aching head and blinking in surprise.

"Bunny?" he glanced around, "…How'd I get here—is this your place?"

The blond turned to see Kotetsu standing in the doorway, and he smiled. “Morning. Yes this is my place. I brought you here last night after you called me. You were incredibly drunk.”

The man's face flushed, "I'm so sorry! Normally I only bother Antonio…he's used to it…"

“It’s alright. Here.” He poured a cup of coffee for Kotetsu and handed it to him. “I’m taking you to work today too.”

"Work? What day is it?" Kotetsu asked, taking the mug.

“Thursday.”

"What the fuck…" Kotetsu rarely swore, but he did so that morning as he slumped over the counter, "Why am I drinking this hard on a work night?"

"You tell me. Did you have something stressful on your mind last night?"

Kotetsu shook his head, "I don't remember—I don't remember anything, actually…"

"You shouldn't drink as much as you did then. It's not healthy for you." Barnaby turned back to the eggs and bacon cooking, pulling them off of the stove and putting them on a couple of plates. He pushed one plate towards Kotetsu. "It's not much, but at least it'll get you through the morning."

"Thanks…" Kotetsu looked down at the plate in thought.

"Kotetsu... There's something I need to talk to you about..." The blond swallowed and took a deep breath, gazing at the Japanese man with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"…No one has cooked for me but my mom since Tomoe…" Kotetsu muttered, looking down at the breakfast.

"Tomoe? Oh right, your wife..." He cleared his throat, not knowing if Kotetsu had heard him or not. "But I really need to talk to you about something. It's kind of important, urgent almost."

Kotetsu looked up, his golden eyes curious, but concerned, "Are you in trouble?"

"No, no... More like curious... And scared." Barnaby's green eyes meet Kotetsu's golden ones. "Kotetsu.... Have you ever considered dating again? I don't mean to disrespect your wife by asking that... But I need to know before I continue."

"Well, no…" Kotetsu admitted, leaning back in the chair he'd seated himself in for breakfast, sipping the coffee Barnaby had prepared for him. "I mean, there is no reason to. No one would even be interested in a single, middle-aged dad. Hell, no one was ever interested in me before Tomoe, either. She had been the only one who'd put up with me like that. Though there was one or two who were interested only if I changed and dropped my dream on becoming a hero…hide the fact I was a NEXT..."

"I think... You shouldn't  drop dating out of the question entirely. I..." He paused, unable to continue speaking as his heart hammered in his chest. "I..."

"You don't need to be concerned about me, I—wait, is this because I interrupted a date or something because I was drunk? You think I need someone because of it? Bunny, it's sweet of you to be worried—and right of you to be annoyed with me for last night—but I don't want a girlfriend just to try and temper my drinking habits. I'll try not to call you again, alright? At least when I'm drunk."

"You didn't interrupt a date. I'm not even dating anyone...yet. But I have someone in mind." He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Ah hell, I've dragged this out longer than I wanted to. Kotetsu, the reason I asked about dating was because... Because I...like you."

Kotetsu looked confused, "…I like you too, Bunny; but we're partners so what does that have to do with dating?"

"I really like you, Kotetsu. More than just a partner or a friend."

"Like…what? Are you a fan?" Kotetsu tilted his head.

"You don't know the half of it..." Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's hands almost desperately, though trying not to be too clingy. "Kotetsu, I am a big fan of yours, have been since I was young, but as we've gotten closer, my feelings for you have changed... I had just a simple crush at first, but now... I think I'm falling in love with you..." He shook as he spoke, uncertainty and fear in his eyes as he looked at the Japanese man.

Kotetsu's eyes widened, his jaw going slack.

Had he heard that right? Or maybe he was still slightly drunk?

Did Barnaby just… _confess_ to him?

It was a lot to take in.

"…Did you just say…that you are falling in love with me?"

"I...did." He gripped Kotetsu's hands a little tighter. "Please don't think I'm weird! I'm only just discovering this!"

"I just…don't understand…" Kotetsu rubbed his face, unsure of what to do or how to react.

Barnaby sat back and chewed on his bottom lip. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said anything." He hid his face behind his hands.

The older hero ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed, "I don't know how to react…Don't think I'm upset or anything, I remember how hard it is to confess to someone, but…I think…I need time…"

"No please... Just forget I spoke up. It's a foolish crush anyways."

"My feelings for Tomoe hadn't been a 'foolish crush', so why should you write yours off as one?"

"Because it's all I've been able to think about! I can't get you out off my mind in my spare time. I like everything about you, but it's foolish of me to do so because I know it's all in vain. There's no way you'll say yes to me now..." Barnaby's shoulders shook slightly, becoming more upset as the seconds ticked away.

"Never say never. I haven't yet, have I? I just asked for time." Kotetsu sighed and placed a hand on Barnaby's trembling shoulder, "Bunny…I never told anyone this, not even my wife…but…I find men attractive more often than women. So don't think I'll say no because you are a man. I just need time because—because I haven't thought about dating again after I lost Tomoe. I haven't even considered letting go of the past to see what the future may hold. I need to know that I can be ready for something like this, and… and Bunny, I need to know if I am capable of returning your feelings. And you—you could use the time given to make sure you even want this old man instead of someone your own age…"

The blond looked up, trails of tears shining on his face. "Kotetsu...thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." He managed a weak smile at the older man.

"None of that." Kotetsu wiped away a trail of tears, "You'll make this old man start to think he rejected you right away if you start crying."

"I'm sorry... I've just had this pent up inside me for so long, and now that I've confessed... Well, all my emotions are catching up to me." He giggled a little, trying to stop crying.

"Well, I can't promise how long it will take, but I can promise that I'll give this some serious thought. Until then, however, let's not let it affect our work."

"I agree." He wiped away more tears and took a huge breath. "Feels so good to have that off of my chest now. We better get ready for work."

"Could you drop me by my place on the way? I need to change my clothes at the very least…"

"Yeah, of course. Let me finish getting ready and we'll go." He went back to the bathroom to do some last minute things with his hair, then grabbed his jacket and keys and motioned for Kotetsu to follow him out to his car.

Kotetsu had hurriedly finished up his breakfast as Barnaby got ready, and then once on the road, he directed the blond to his place. "Want to come in? It may take a moment to freshen up enough for work."

"Yeah sure. Might as well instead of sitting in the car waiting." He got out and followed Kotetsu to the man's apartment.

"Sorry about the mess…don't trip." Kotetsu muttered as he pulled out his keys and opened the door.

“I’ll try not to…” Barnaby looked at the mess of bottles on the floor and grimaced slightly. Kotetsu really needed to cut back on his drinking.

"I usually clean up when I know someone's coming over, but…" Kotetsu shrugged and mounted the steps up to the loft. "I'm grabbing a shower—don't worry, it'll be real quick."

He gave Kotetsu a nod, then looked around the apartment, noting the dim lighting, It probably helped the older man when he was drinking… After all, most bars were illuminated in much the same way. Either the lights in Kotetsu’s apartment were intentionally dim, or Kotetsu just needed to replace the lights.

Apart from the mess, there was little to personalize the main area of the apartment. The walls were bare, though there were a few old action figures of Mr. Legend by the TV, and a framed photograph on the table next to the couch, supporting Kaede's smiling face, though she was younger than she had been when Barnaby had saved her.

Barnaby walked over to the picture and smiled. The girl looked so happy. He wondered why it wasn’t okay for her to know her father was a hero. The man was spectacular, after all.

It wasn't long before Kotetsu came hurrying down the steps, shirt and vest open still, hair wet, and tie in hand, "Okay, ready to go. With any luck we won't be late."

“Y-yeah…” The blond swallowed and headed back out the door of the apartment. He waited for Kotetsu to guide him out of the building, then followed him until they got outside. “Your hair is still dripping. Did you dry it off at all?”

"A little—I can drive us in my car if you don't want yours to get wet. Yours is much nicer than mine."

“No, I can drive. I just… when I leave my hair wet it gets frizzy…” Barnaby flushed a little.

"You also have curls. I hear curls are hard to maintain. I keep mine straight." Kotetsu shrugged, "It'll be a little messier than usual today but not too bad."

“It’s not that hard.” He climbed into his car and buckled up. “But never mind that now. We’re going to be late. Get in.”

Kotetsu slipped into his seat and buckled up before bending over to tie his shoes before he started buttoning his shirt and tucking it in.

Barnaby stayed silent all the way to Apollon, and he remained so as the two headed up to their office. There was paperwork to be done, but with the confession Barnaby made that morning, he doubted it was going to be easy to focus on what he had to do. Maybe he would call his mother during lunch.

* * *

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

“I just didn’t know if you guys were free tonight to come eat with Kotetsu and I.” Barnaby was saying to his mother that night over the phone. “I thought it would have been nice for you to meet him.”

"I'm sorry, honey, I wish we could but we just had a big breakthrough in development on our project here at the lab and we need to see it through. Your father had an intern order out for dinner not long before you called. We'll have to meet the man behind the mask another time." Emily responded.

“It’s okay. There will be plenty of other times, Mom.” Barnaby smiled a little sadly. “I hope everything goes well. I know how you guys get when you have a breakthrough.”

"It's actually very exciting. I wish we could share with you the project, but it's in the contract to keep it hush-hush."

“I understand. Big important stuff shouldn’t be revealed to the public before it’s supposed to.”

"Yes, ah, but have fun tonight, even if it's not the date you were hoping for."

“I’m hoping I don’t screw things up. I almost did this morning when I told Kotetsu I liked him…” He fiddled nervously with the bottom of his shirt.

"How do you think that?"

“Ah, well I… kind of broke down and cried… a little.”

Barnaby heard his mother laugh on the other end of the line, her voice muffled as if she was covering the receiver with her hand.

“Mom! Don’t laugh! It was stressful!” he groaned and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

"You were always the emotional boy when you got passionate about something." She giggled.

“I’m just like you and Dad! I’m very passionate about things and I get upset easily…” Barnaby had a putting tone to his voice. “It’s not my fault I got so flustered.”

"What was his reaction to your confession?"

“He was hesitant, but he did say that he was bi, or at least that he liked both men and women. He said he needed some time to think it over before he gave me an answer to my confession.”

"And he accepted your invitation to dinner, that's a good sign that he's serious about it. It's probably a complicated situation for him. I know that if I didn't have your father, and some handsome young man expressed an interest in me, I'd have a lot to evaluate—including talking to you and see how you felt about your mom hitting the dating scene again."

Barnaby cringed at the idea. “Well, he did say that he’d have to talk to his daughter about it. She’s ten I think.”

"Then, it would seem that little ten year old girl is your biggest obstacle to your Tiger's heart."

“I know. She’s a big fan of mine, but I don’t know how big of a fan she’ll be once she finds out I like her dad.” He sighed, slouching a little.

"Hmm, sounds sticky. The girl could go either way on this."

“I’m worried about it. Is that normal, Mom?”

"Is what normal? The girl's reaction towards the idea of her favorite hero dating her dad, or your worry over what the reaction would be?" She chuckled, "Barnaby, both are perfectly normal. She has the right to whichever reaction she will have to the news, and you have the right to worry that the daughter of the man who unknowingly stole your heart would reject and hate you for it. Just don't forget that she could embrace you just as easily."

“I love Kaede, I really do. She’s such a sweet girl, and I hope she never changes. But I’m worried she won’t like me after Kotetsu tells her about me, or even that her father would like to date again. I don’t know. All of this is new and confusing to me.”

"Oh? You have met the girl already?" his mother asked.

“You could say that. More like I rescued her while on duty one time. Other than that time, I haven’t really seen her.”

"You rescued her? Oh, I bet Tiger is forever grateful to you for that."

“I think he is.” Barnaby chuckled. “He hasn’t hated me for it, so that’s a plus.”

"He's a father; his child is what is most important to him. Trust me on this." She chuckled, "Ah?" her amusement stopped and her voice became muffled as she spoke again before removing her hand from the phone, "I'm sorry, I need to go, your father's calling and it sounds like he really needs my help with something. Have fun tonight."

“You too. Love you, Mom. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” He hung up, knowing his mother needed to get to work if his father needed her. A heavy sigh came from the blond, and he waited for the doorbell to ring with Kotetsu’s arrival.

Fifteen or so minutes later there was a buzz at the door, signaling to Barnaby that someone was waiting to be let inside.

He walked over casually, not wanting to be too hasty if it was Kotetsu. His lungs filled with air and let it out slowly as he opened the door.

Kotetsu stood on the other side of the door, looking around the lavish halls that lead to Barnaby's apartment. The man seemed to have decided to dress for the occasion, supporting a suit rather than his normal street clothes and his hair was slicked back out of his face. Upon hearing the door open, Kotetsu turned and his cheeks pinkened. "Hey, Bunny."

"H-hey... Kotetsu." Barnaby flushed and swallowed, sporting his famous smile. "Come in. It seems I'm a bit underdressed at the moment..." He gestured to his t-shirt and casual pants.

"Sorry, I—it's been so long and I didn't know what to wear so…" Kotetsu rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "—Not that this is a date or anything…"

“N-no… of course it’s not a date. Ah… Wait for me out here. I’ll go change into something more presentable…” The blond headed back to his room, locking the door behind him as he changed.

Kotetsu blinked at the closed door and reached out, tapping it.

A pair of nice black pants, a red button up, and a black tie completed Barnaby’s new outfit, though as he dressed up he couldn’t help but think that this really was a date. It felt like it, the way his stomach fluttered about and how it felt hard to breathe. Surely it was just his mind playing tricks.

"Bunny…you could let me wait inside…" Kotetsu pouted outside the door to the apartment.

The door soon opened again to Kotetsu, Barnaby looking a little less flushed than before, but still noticeably red. “Sorry… If you don’t mind me changing the plans a little… I hadn’t prepared anything to eat, so we have to go out to find something.”

Kotetsu shrugged, quickly regaining himself after feeling like a forgotten pet on the doormat wanting inside where it's warm. "Fine with me."

“Also… do you mind leaving your jacket here? That way it doesn’t look quite so much like a date…” Barnaby’s face reddened.

"Hu? But it isn't a date…" Kotetsu looked confused.

“I know. It’s just… by the way we’re dressed, people might think it’s a date.” He sighed and slouched a little. “Please, can you just leave your jacket here? It’d make me feel more comfortable.”

"I guess…but we are two guys, if one of us were a girl people'd assume it was a date but we could be on a business meeting or something."

“I guess you’re right. Sorry I’m a little… flustered right now.”

"Why? We're co-workers going out to eat—unless you focus on the fact that…that you confessed to me and I—am…yeah…"

Barnaby stood awkwardly in front of Kotetsu, trying not to break down and go into an all out panic mode. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Let’s go… before this gets any weirder.”

"Sorry…sorry." Kotetsu slipped off his jacket and handed it to Barnaby.

He hung it on the coat rack near the door and stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind him. “Okay, do you have a preference as to where we eat?”

Kotetsu shook his head, "Someplace nice—but not _too_ nice."

“There’s a place in downtown Gold that might be that. No reservations need to be made, so we shouldn’t be waiting for too long.” He headed towards the door of the building, keys in hand and ready to unlock his car.

"Alright." Kotetsu shoved his hands in his pockets, nervously.

“Just for future reference, what do you like to eat? I don’t think I’ve ever been told.”

"Hmm? Oh, I really like fried rice and mayo." The man shrugged.

“Is that even good together?” He pulled a face as he unlocked his car and climbed in.

"Of course it is! I'll make you some sometime." Kotetsu promised, getting into the passenger seat.

The key was put into the ignition, and the car was started. “I… don’t know if I want to try it.”

"Aw, don't be like that, Bunny! Trust me, it's real good! Even Kaede will get excited for it when she finds out I'm cooking!"

“It must be a Japanese thing then. It doesn’t sound appealing to me.” He shrugged as he started to drive to downtown Gold.

"Trust me, Bunny, trust me." Kotetsu said, touching the younger man's shoulder.

Barnaby went slightly rigid, but he pretended not to be bothered. “I’ll trust you on that when I try it.”

"Great!" Kotetsu folded his hands in his lap and looked out the window.

“If I try it,” he added.

"What do you mean, 'if'? Of course you're getting some!"

“I know I’m getting some, but I’m not promising to try it though.”

Kotetsu pouted, "Mean."

“No I’m not.”

"Yes you are; you don't want to try my cooking."

“I never said that! I only said I didn’t promise to try your cooking.”

"Same thing…"

“Oh whatever.” Barnaby sighed, a small smile on his lips. “Okay, I promise I’ll try some, but if I don’t like it, you can’t make me try it again.”

"Well, I'll try your favorite dish, too, then."

“You need to wait to eat with my parents then because my mom makes my favorite the best!” He chuckled.

"Oh? What is this favorite dish of yours?"

“Beef stroganoff. Next time I have it with my parents, I’ll call you.”

"Hu, don't think I have ever tried that before."

“I can make it, but it’s not as good as my mom’s. It’s the best stuff ever.”

"Make me yours sometime. I'll try them both."

“If you insist.”

After a little longer of driving, they finally arrived at the restaurant. Barnaby parked his car nearby, then waited for Kotetsu to get out before heading to the front door of the building.

Kotetsu followed, stepping in through the door Barnaby held open for him and going to the hostess, "A table for two, please."

She nodded and went off to find an open table, returning quickly and leading the two heroes to their table. Menus were handed to both of them once they sat down. “Anything I can get to drink for you two?”

Kotetsu ordered off the drink menu and then looked at Barnaby, curious as to what he preferred to drink.

Barnaby ordered just a water; not wanting to be too influenced by caffeine or alcohol that night. He looked back at the menu as the waitress left to get their drinks. “You ever been here before?”

Kotetsu shook his head, "I don't eat out much unless it's bar food…"

“So you eat fried rice all the time?” He chuckled.

"I do give myself more variety than that."

“Oh? How much variety?”

"Frozen pizza, leftovers from my mom's place after I visit or she visits, cup of noodles, takeout…"

“Nothing really healthy it sounds like. How are you still in top shape?”

"I work out…you know that. You make sure of it."

“I know I make sure you work out. But how you manage to keep running on all that junk food and alcohol is beyond me.”

Kotetsu swallowed and cast his gaze down at the table, "…My brother tells me I'm self-destructive…ever since I lost Tomoe…I—I won't lie to you, Bunny, I…am a measure of…depressed, I guess…"

“Depression is tough to get through, I know.” Barnaby sighed and set his menu down, reaching across the table to put his hand gently on Kotetsu’s shoulder. “I know you’ll have your bad days, like yesterday when you were so drunk you didn’t know where you were. But no matter what happens, no matter how drunk, how lost, how broken you get, I’ll be here for you. I don’t want to see a man such as yourself break easily because of the past.”

"You're young; you shouldn't have to worry about an old man and his baggage…" Kotetsu reached up to take Barnaby's hand into his own, holding it between his warm palms, "There is so much…I'm a single father approaching forty who had tragically lost his wife to an illness while he was out working instead of at her side. But you? You are in your prime, and elected the most eligible bachelor in the city—I've seen the tabloids—you could have anyone you wanted—yet you chose me? Why? What do you think I have to offer you? I don't have experience; I have never actually been with a man before—only Tomoe. I only had little crushes apart from her. I don't have money; I send most of it to my daughter and mother back home, and what I keep for myself goes to bills and alcohol. You deserve so much more than what I am, and I just can't understand…why me?" he kept his voice low so no one would overhear.

The blond was silent for a bit, collecting his thought before he spoke. "I chose you not for the money or the alcoholism, not even out of pity. I chose you because of the man you are behind your mask. You're caring, you're kind, you think of others first a lot of the time, you love helping people out of costume. I... I like the man I see because of his heart. Sure, it's a little broken, but I think it can be healed by time and the right person. Now, granted, I may not be that person, but you are in need of someone who you can trust, and on return they can trust you."

"I…wish I could see what you saw in me. Maybe then it'd be easier to let myself move on…to be…happy again. But already I'm attached to you—I care for you. I don't want to lose you or see you hurt…"

The brunet looked away, "You remind me a lot of her—my sweet Tomoe. Not completely, mind you. You are definitely your own person, but…there are some similarities between you two…the same parts of her personality that attracted me to have feelings for her—you have. You are strong, smart, and know just how to motivate me or detour me if I'm getting out of hand. I…I think I felt that attraction when we started getting to know one another, but it wasn't until you confessed that I realized this was how I felt… You are good for me, even I can see that, though I won't admit it apart from now… But am I good for you?" he shook his head and sighed, "This is why an answer is so hard to give you."

"I won't force you to like me the way I like you. If you need more time, you can have all the time you want. " Barnaby smiled at Kotetsu. "Whatever your answer ends up becoming, I'll still be your friend... I w-want to show you...what I see in you, but it's too early to do that."

"That's not it at all, Bunny!" Kotetsu held Barnaby's hand tighter, "I'm saying I already do. I just…can't give you an answer yet because I can't hurt you or ruin what we have…plus I have to call Kaede still… God, I'm horrible, aren't I?" he slumped, letting go of Barnaby's hand.

"Kotetsu, you're not going to hurt me. Like you said, I'm strong, I can handle things if it all goes to hell." Barnaby reached for Kotetsu's hand again. "I'm not going to give up on you, okay? You're not horrible. You're the best friend a guy could ask for, and even more than that. Even if you tell me no for now, I'm not going to let us dwell on that. We'll move forward stronger than before, no matter what."

"Bunny, I—"

Kotetsu was cut off by the beeping from both of their call bands.

"What? Really? Now?"

"I guess it can't be helped." Barnaby sighed and pulled out some cash and set it on the table before rushing out. "Come on, old man!"

"But we didn't even get to eat yet!" Kotetsu pouted, getting up to follow and apologizing to the hostess as they rushed out.

"We'll eat after!" He slid into his car and tapped his call bracelet. "Saito, meet us at Apollon. We're headed there from downtown Gold."

Kotetsu struggled to open the door, but finally slipped in, pulling out his mask and placing it on his face. "I hope this isn't a huge ordeal. I was looking forward to a nice evening…"

"I was too. But we have to be here for the city. People's lives are more important than a nice evening." He sighed heavily and sped to Apollon in his spots car. Saito was already waiting for them when they arrived, and Barnaby had just barely turned the car off before he was jumping out and heading inside the transport van.

Kotetsu sighed and followed. Normally he'd agree, but he still felt so distracted.

 

* * *

 

"Agnes, what's the situation this time?" Barnaby revved the motorcycle more as they sped through the streets, avoiding cars and other vehicles while on their way to the scene of the call.

"There has been a reported disturbance at the Brooks Robotic Facility. A fortune's worth of research and equipment has been stolen and the facility set on fire. It is the job of you Heroes to save those trapped inside and help the Fire Fighters  extinguish the flames." came the woman's response.

Kotetsu stiffened, his eyes shifting to look up at his partner.

Though Barnaby's expression couldn't be seen, his eyes went wide with fear. "Oh no..." He pressed on, going faster than he maybe should have. "No, this can't be happening..."

"…They are working tonight…aren't they? Your parents?" Kotetsu muttered.

"They were...are." It took a few more minutes before they arrived at the robotics facility, and when the got there, Barnaby rushed in as close as he could without being stupid.

"We'll get them out safely." Kotetsu promised.

* * *

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9

Barnaby and the other heroes started to help the firefighters with escorting people out of the building right away when he and Kotetsu arrived at the scene. All the while looking for his parents. When it came down to it, his parents were nowhere to be found, and it made him extremely nervous. He couldn't help but rush back in the building and call for his mother and father as loud as he could.

Kotetsu followed, "Be careful, the place is starting to come down. We do this together." He shouted over the roaring flames.

"We have to find my parents! I'm not leaving until I find them!" The blond pressed on, nearly being taken down by several fiery beams. He wasn't going to give up easily, but the sinking feeling he had only grew the longer they searched.

"I'm not telling you to give up! Just to be careful! We're partners, remember?" Kotetsu leapt out of the way of a falling support beam as they pushed in deeper into the burning building.

"Where do they normally work? Have we searched there?"

"They're usually in the back lab, the biggest and then one where the fire started. It's been searched already." The smoke started to get to Barnaby though he had his suit to filter it out of the air. It was messing with his head. "I gotta find them," he kept saying to no one in particular.

"Tiger, Barnaby, get out of there!" Agnes' voice came through into their ears. "It's too unstable, the whole thing is about to collapse on top of you!"

“Not yet!” Barnaby nearly screamed, tears at the corners of his eyes. “I have to find my parents! They can’t be left behind!”

"Your…parents? Barnaby, the place has been swept, no one else is inside."

“I need to find them! I can’t live without them!” He dodged a beam, shielding his face. His tone of voice sounded desperate and scared, like a small child’s when they lost their parents in a shop.

"They aren't in there!" the woman insisted.

"Bunny…this is increasingly unsafe, we can't stay in here much longer, even our suits can't protect us. I can already tell some smoke is starting to get in, and the heat's getting through…"

“But… I…” Tears fell from Barnaby’s eyes as he shook his head.

"I know…" Kotetsu stepped up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We have been searching the whole time, and the other heroes and fire fighters have been. They could have gotten out already, but we'll die in here if we don't get moving. I won't leave you in here."

It took another falling beam to get Barnaby moving once again. He couldn’t help but cry, not knowing where his parents were. It was frightening to think that his parents were missing. Maybe they had made it out alive.

After what seemed like forever, the two heroes broke free of the fiery inferno that was the robotics facility. Barnaby stumbled a little as he ran away from the building he was so familiar with. It was sad to see it burn, but the cause of the fire was unknown to both heroes and officers. He turned around to look at the building, memories being burned up along with the building, smiles and laughs disappearing quickly before his eyes.

It was too much, how much love and time was dedicated to that one facility. Barnaby tore off his helmet and sat on the nearby curb. He held his head in his hands as he let his tears fall silently.

Kotetsu walked over after getting water bottles from a medic, pressing one to Barnaby's cheek, "Drink this, then let's go search for your parents among those that were pulled out or got out on their own."

The blond grabbed the bottle and drank half of it before standing back up, wiping his face dry. "Okay, let's go look."

Kotetsu nodded, taking the younger man's hand and guiding him through the crowd, stopping to ask people about the missing parents every so often.

The crowd began to thin as people started leaving to go home, and Kotetsu could see the despair in his partner's eyes and he pressed on in his search.

"Excuse me, has anyone seen Mr. and Mrs. Brooks? Sir? Have you? Ma'am?"

"I saw them." A young woman said, approaching Kotetsu as she overheard his questioning.

Barnaby's eyes widened as he moved closer to the woman. "You saw them?! Were they alright?"

"I was looking for a police officer to tell them but…you're heroes and can take statements, right? I saw what happened." She nodded.

"What happened to them? Where did they go?"

"Let's go sit down." Kotetsu suggested, guiding the woman over to a quieter area, away from the flames still being doused.

The woman nodded and sat down on the hood of a police car before taking a sip of water and beginning her tale.

"I'm new. Mrs. Brooks had given me an internship only a month and a half ago, and she and her husband were working late tonight because of a big breakthrough in their project. They asked me if I'd stay late and as I could really use the money, I agreed and ended up being sent out to pick up dinner for the team. But when I returned…" she sighed and looked back at the burning facility, "When I returned with the order of food, the team was scattered, working on different areas of the labs, so I walked from lab to lab to hand out the food until I got to the main lab where Doctors Brooks were still working—only they weren't alone. I heard arguing. Mr. Brooks was very upset and yelling something about their work being sold to criminals behind his back. Then I heard a calm voice reply that it was 'too bad' or 'too late' or something. He was speaking so low I couldn't quite hear what all he said, but I cracked open the door and peaked inside in time to see someone with a tattoo on his hand reach out and grab Mrs. Brooks around the neck and pull her out of sight. Then other men rushed out and grabbed her husband, pulling them off—I tried to sound an alarm but—the next thing I knew I was laying on the floor and the whole lab was on fire—I was trapped Until Rock Bison saved me…"

“Wait, so… they made it out alive? But where are they?” Barnaby was starting to sound desperate and very unprofessional like.

"I…don't think they made it out, I think…they were taken along with all the stuff that I hear got stolen…" she muttered.

“Stolen?” He looked to Kotetsu with wide eyes. “You think they could have been kidnapped?”

"Well, they are the experts and know everything. They even code their work. It'd be useless to anyone who doesn't know how to decipher it."

“My parents never even told me the code. It was all to keep them safe… but it looks like they still ended up being hurt, along with all their work.” He looked sadly to the building whose flames were finally dying down.

"We'll find them and bring them home. Miss, what did the tattoo look like?" Kotetsu asked.

"Um…" the girl thought back a moment, "It was a circle—no, a snake curling up with a sword stabbing it." She finally said.

"Do you think you could draw it for us? It'll help us a lot."

"I can try."

“Let’s go over to the police officers. They’ll have paper and a pen you can sketch out the tattoo with.” Barnaby led the woman over to where the officers were standing, having her explain all she had said to them, then requested a piece of paper for her to sketch out the tattoo design.

"I—I'm no artist, but here." The girl held up the sketch to Barnaby and blushed, "Um…c-can I ask you for your signature? I'd ask for a selfie but…my phone got left behind and I'm a big fan of yours. So handsome…"

“Well of course. Getting help from a smart and pretty young woman such as yourself deserves a signature.” He took the pen and signed a part of the paper that wasn’t occupied by the symbol, then tore off the part his signature had been on, handing it to the woman. “Thanks for your help.”

"Thank you!" She smiled and then let an officer escort her away.

Kotetsu looked over Barnaby's shoulder at the drawing, pressing his lips together in thought. "What an odd design…"

“Strangely enough… it looks slightly familiar. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before, but where, I couldn’t say.” Barnaby shook his head in confusion.

"Hu, well, maybe it'll come back to you and we can look into it."

“…I need to find my parents…” The blond sighed heavily, looking over the design and racking his mind to try to recognize it.

"I know, and I'll help you. Besides, how can I try your mom's cooking like you want if we don't find them and bring them home?" he smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Barnaby managed a small smile, more like a smirk. “You just want my mom’s cooking. That’s all you care about.”

"Well, I hear from a reliable source that her cooking could rival my own mother's cooking, and that's very hard to do." He smiled wider; glad he was able to get at lest a small smile from the handsome young hero he called his partner.

“I think we might have to make that into a competition. It would be interesting to see what would happen, not to mention the insane amount of food we’d have to eat. I’m not sure you’re up for that, Tiger.”

"Battle of the Mom cooking?" Kotetsu laughed, "We'll have to see if our mothers will agree to that."

“I know mine will. She loves to cook outside of work. She doesn’t like to eat out much because she loves to cook.” Barnaby shrugged with a chuckle.

"Then let's ask her as soon as possible." Kotetsu said, putting an arm around Barnaby's armored shoulders.

“Sounds good… Thanks for cheering me up.” He smiled slightly. “I know where ever my parents are, they’re safe for now. We just need to do our best to find them without freaking out about it.”

"What are partners for? I know this is a scary situation, but you know whoever did this needs them. Even bad guys won't hurt the people they need, and they need your parents. We have time to find them. Come on, I propose we eat a little something and get rest. Our investigation in finding your parents begins tomorrow, bright and early."

“Okay. I’m a little hungry after that anyways. And thirsty.” He chuckled and wiped his face off.

Kotetsu nodded, "Let's go get cleaned up again and discuss what to do for food."

“Nothing sounds better than a shower right now. I’m nasty.” He shook his head, climbing onto the motorcycle and revving it to life.

"Maybe back to your place and while you shower I'll order takeout?" Kotetsu suggested, settling into his side car.

Barnaby nodded. “I just want to relax for the rest of the night… I might try to call my mom’s phone. I don’t know.” He sighed and took them back to Apollon, where they changed back into their civilian clothes, then headed back to Barnaby’s apartment. He jumped into the shower as soon as they were in the apartment.

As he waited, Kotetsu ordered them some food and paid for it when it arrived. He then set it out on the table in Barnaby's kitchen.

He didn't like the situation, two of the most accomplished robotic scientists of—whatever they called the field they worked in, disappearing after finding out their work was being sold illegally behind their backs, disappearing with all their notes and work on whatever they had been working on before any remaining evidence of what happened was destroyed in a fire?

They had to find the missing couple, and he didn't want to worry Barnaby more than necessary, but things were getting messy, and the longer the Brooks' were in the hands of the criminals responsible, the stickier the situation would become.

He sat back in his chair and looked towards the bathroom door he could barely see through the kitchen archway. Maybe it was best if he stayed the night with the young hero to comfort him. Being alone while highly emotional was dangerous. Kotetsu knew that—it's how he developed an alcoholic addiction. –He didn't want to see Barnaby destroy himself.

Barnaby came out after about an hour in the bathroom, hair slightly damp and a loose t-shirt and shorts clothing his body. He smiled when he smelled the food. “Food hasn’t been here for too long, has it?” He sat down next to Kotetsu.

"No, I just set it out, you have good timing." Kotetsu smiled.

“Ah good. I hoped I hadn’t kept you waiting too long.” A small yawn escaped Barnaby before he dig into the food, grabbing his part before letting Kotetsu take his.

"It's fine." Kotetsu waved it off, then he got serious as he spread mayonnaise on a bread roll, "Would you mind if I stayed over tonight?"

“Oh… sure, I guess. I don’t see why you can’t.” He shrugged as he took a bite of his food.

"I'll sleep on that—chair thing." Kotetsu shrugged, "But if you need to talk or anything…I'll be here for you, Bunny."

“Thanks, Kotetsu. It means a lot to me.” For a moment, his eyes were looking directly at Kotetsu’s. It was a bit too late to realize it before his face flushed, and he had to look away quick.

Kotetsu didn't seem to notice as he dug into his meal. "Just let me borrow your shower tonight and we'll both be good, then." He smiled.

“S-sounds good.” Barnaby quickly shoved more food into his mouth so he didn’t have to talk.

Kotetsu did look up at that, "I promise I won't invade your privacy, Bunny. If you need to talk, I'll let you come to me. Don't worry."

"I..." He  swallowed. "You don't need to worry about not invading my privacy. I'm okay with it...Not that I want you to walk in on me taking shower! I just... I don't.... Oh man I'm messing this up so badly."

"Kaede sys I can be overbearing." Kotetsu shook his head, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"No, no! You're not overbearing, I'm just a total idiot with my words when I'm...I'm just really flustered right now, okay?" He huffed slightly, covering his face.

Kotetsu set down his food and got up, moving around to Barnaby's chair and pulling him in a hug against his chest, "You are not an idiot, Bunny."

Barnaby just sat there a little stunned, but he slowly wrapped his arms around Kotetsu and hugged back, hiding his face on the man's shoulder. "I am an idiot. I'm a mess right now."

"A mess, yes, but not an idiot." Kotetsu insisted.

"Kotetsu... I couldn't save them. I tried, I tried looking for them, but I couldn't find them." Barnaby sighed heavily, fighting back tears.

"They were already gone. There was nothing you could have done. But…it is not too late to save them. Remember that. You can still save them, and I'll be by your side helping every step of the way."

"I want you by my side after we find them too..." He flushed again.

"And who says I won't?"

He shook his head while holding Kotetsu tighter. "I don't want you to think I'm weird..."

"Bunny—you have a crush on an old man like me—I already think you are weird." He joked.

"Thanks that really helps," Barnaby replied sarcastically. "I'm stupid for having this crush on you. It's just a hopeless crush anyways. I don't know why I even bother."

"Stop that." Kotetsu demanded, holding him closer.

“I can’t… I keep thinking I’m not worth it. It’s not worth it to have a stupid crush on anyone when it’ll most likely end up in self-pity for being such an idiot in the first place.” He sighed heavily, hugging Kotetsu tight. “I’m a terrible partner because of this stupid crush, and I’m a terrible son because I couldn’t even save my parents when they were in danger, and…. and…” Barnaby shook slightly as he tried to control his breathing.

"Stop that, right now. We may not always get along at work, but you are the best partner I have ever had the pleasure of working with, Barnaby. You come up with all these great plans of attack for every situation, and it really cuts down on the amount of fines I end up having to pay because I act first without thinking. You are the brains of our hero work, and you are amazing. As for your crush—well, as much as I don't understand it, I do know that these kind of feelings can't be helped. That's why I'm taking such care to make sure I'm ready to give you my answer. I don't want to jump into anything without thinking and end up hurting you more."

He pulled back enough to cup Barnaby's cheek, "Now, why don't you tell me more? You said you knew they were in danger? How?"

“My parents are always working on secret projects. It’s best to keep the projects a secret because of how big they are. Not a lot of people like that and… well, some people would do anything to hurt them. I don’t know if anyone would go so far as to kill them, but kidnap them and use their knowledge? Yes.”

Kotetsu sighed and pulled his chair around to sit next to Barnaby, holding his hand.

"I…I blame myself—for my wife's death." He admitted slowly, "She was sick, and the doctors all agreed that she didn't have much time left, but still, I left her side. I became Wild Tiger and left her to save others. She died without me holding her hand, without me by her side. I wasn't there for her in her last moments and I should have been. I knew she was fading away, I knew I had little time left with her, and I wasted it. I couldn't even save her from a lonely death, just like how you knew your parent's job had risks."

He reached out and tilted Barnaby's chin up. "But you couldn't have known that this particular night was when that danger would show up. Just as I hadn't known that that day would be Tomoe's last moments. We have our lives to live and can't always be there for our—our loved ones. We take risks every day because of it. Usually it all turns out fine, sometimes, things happen. But we have a chance to right this one. We can still rescue your parents."

“I hope you’re right, Kotetsu. If my parents didn’t make it out alive…” He couldn’t finish his sentence, afraid he might start crying in front of his partner, ending up making himself look hysteric about the situation.

"Don't, we already know it's most likely that they were out before the fire even started. Tomorrow we should see a report to confirm this as the fire department is investigating the fire. The case will then be handed over to the police, and I'm sure they'll agree to share information with the most popular hero so he can also be looking into it at other angles."

“I have a feeling they did make it out alive… But I still can’t help but think they got hurt.” He sighed and gained a more confident look in his eyes. “Tomorrow, first thing, we go check the reports. If we find a lead, we’re investigating it until we have an absolute idea of what happened.

"Of course." Kotetsu nodded and looked at Barnaby's half eaten meal, "You done eating and ready for bed? I'll clean up…"

“Yeah, I’m done. Thanks for helping out…Would it be too much to ask for a hug?”

Kotetsu shook his head, "We have been hugging nearly this whole time." He said, opening his arms.

Barnaby fell into Kotetsu’s arms. “O-oh yeah…” He gave a small laugh. “Sorry, my thoughts are all over the place right now. Sorry for my crazy behavior.”

Kotstsu placed a chaste kiss atop blond curls as he held him as close as he once had his grieving daughter, wondering why her mommy wasn't coming home.

This time…this time would be different. Kotetsu was determined to see it so.

With another sigh, Kotetsu got up and guided Barnaby to his bedroom door, "Want me to tuck you in?"

“No! ...No thanks… I can tuck myself in, but I appreciate the thought.” Barnaby smiled nervously, hoping Kotetsu didn’t suspect anything.

Kotetsu chuckled and messed Barnaby's hair before turning back to the kitchen, "Call me if you need anything."

He began to clean up the mess from dinner, munching on a few more things before gathering the few dishes they used and taking them to the sink, filling it up with hot soapy water. He was about to slip his hands in to start washing the dishes when his phone rang and he hurried to get it out of his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Dad?"

"Ohhh Kaede! Calling Daddy up to say good night? You should already be in bed, silly. It's past midnight!"

Kotetsu could almost hear the girl roll her eyes as she responded, and he put the phone on speaker so he could work on dishes.

"I couldn't sleep. Grandma was watching Hero TV and I was curious what was happening so late so I watched it, too and…Dad, I'm worried! Did you watch it?"

"Hero TV? No…I was working late I only just finished dinner." He said, truthfully. "Why? What about it?"

"There was a fire! And Barnaby was really out of it. They said his parents were working in that building and oh—he must be so crushed!"

"Well, any kid would be upset if their parents were in a fire—you'd be upset if Daddy was, right?"

"Dad, this is serious. Stop making this about you."

Kotetsu sighed, "I know…"

"I want you to do something for me."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"Barnaby has an autograph session tomorrow. It was posted up on his blog a few days ago. Go to it and make sure he's doing okay!"

"Blog? Auto—Honey, that may get canceled, given the circumstances."

"At least try? For me? _Please_?"

"…Alright, I'll see what I can do, but don't be disappointed if I can't. Daddy has a lot of work to do tomorrow and—"

"Just try, that's all I'm asking."

"I will. But you need to settle into bed. You have school tomorrow."

"Okay…" Kaede gave a small pause, "…I love you, Daddy." She said before hanging up.

Lying in his bed, Barnaby heard the whole conversation between father and daughter, his door having been slightly cracked open so Kotetsu could hear him if he needed anything. A small smile crept onto the blond’s lips, thinking of how Kaede might react when her father told her he was Wild Tiger. Thoughts rolled together in his head, and it eventually led to what he himself might do if Kotetsu were to ever leave him. He didn’t want to think what he might do, but it was a real possibility. Kotetsu had gotten hurt severely before, and it could happen that one day would be fatal.

Despite the haunting thoughts, he fell asleep soon after.

* * *

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

Barnaby slept rather well for most of the night, but when dawn was nearly breaking, his dreams became hostile, producing graphic images of what could have happened to his parents. A large fire, gun shots, laughter in the distance that sounded vaguely like Maverick’s, it was enough to cause the blond to wake with a yelp, sitting upright and rigid. His stomach churned, and he ran for the bathroom as quickly as he could before he ruined anything with his vomit.

Kotetsu lay reclined in the chair Barnaby had in his main room of the suite. It wasn't as uncomfortable as Kotetsu had imagined, but even his old couch was more comfortable, which he fell asleep on a lot. He didn't like sleeping in his bed, much. It was always so cold and lonely without his wife, and he had to wonder if he would be okay with inviting Barnaby into that bed which had once been shared as a marriage bed…

He slept lightly, drifting in and out of sleep throughout the night, so it wasn't a surprise that he heard Barnaby get up early that morning and rush to the bathroom.

Yawning, he pushed himself up and wandered over, knocking on the door, "Bunny? You okay?"

The blond was hunched over the toilet, panting slightly. He managed to look up at Kotetsu with watery eyes. “I’m fine…”

"Are you sure? It doesn't look it…" Kotetsu said, stepping in and filling a cup with water for Barnaby.

“I just got woken from a dream, that’s all. I’m fine, really.” He shakily stood up and wiped off his mouth.

Kotetsu handed him the cup, "Dreams don't make people sick like this."

“It just scared me, okay? I’m fine.” He drank the water slowly, leaning against the counter heavily.

"I still don't like it." Kotetsu said, pressing a hand to his forehead, "You're burning up—you should stay in bed today."

“I’m not sick. I just need a little more sleep and I’ll be fine.”

"You are sick. Go back to bed and rest, I'll text you anything I find out and then I'll come back and make you something to eat at lunch time."

“I’m fine to go to work. I don’t need to be taken care of…” Barnaby pushed past Kotetsu with a grumble, tripping himself up and falling against the wall. He cursed himself for not grabbing his glasses.

"You are not going, Bunny!" Kotetsu said, putting his foot down like the father he was. He stepped in closer and swept Barnaby into his arms princess-style. Walking out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom.

“W-wait! Put me down!” He struggled to get out of Kotetsu’s arms, knowing very well he’d be found out if Kotetsu stepped foot into his bedroom. That humiliation – Kotetsu would never let Barnaby live it down.

Somehow he managed to escape Kotetsu’s hold right in front of the bedroom door, but he knocked his head on the wall in the process of doing so. “Don’t go in my room… please. I couldn’t handle that now.”

Kotetsu frowned, placing a hand on Barnaby's head and feeling for a bump, "Why? I won't do anything to you but tuck you in. There is nothing the least bit sexual about this situation… tch, you smacked your head pretty hard…should get you some ice…"

“It’s not that…” Barnaby sighed as he stood up. “I just don’t want you to see the… mess.”

"Mess? Hahaha! You've seen my place…you know I don’t mind a mess, now come on." Kotetsu opened the door and gently, but firmly pushed Barnaby inside and to the bed, Pausing only a moment to take in the room before glancing at Barnaby's flushed face and getting him to settle on the bed, saying nothing of what appeared to be a shrine for Wild Tiger.

The extremely embarrassed blond hid his face from Kotetsu, not wanting to even look at his partner. “I’m… sorry…”

"For what? Not feeling good? It happens, even heroes get sick." Kotetsu said, laying Barnaby down and tucking him in.

Barnaby just made a pitiful noise and curled into a ball once he was tucked in. He pulled the covers over his head.

"Rest. I'll make sure to update you on anything concerning your parents." Kotetsu promised again as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, finally pausing and letting his eyes go wide.

"Bunny…really is a big fan…"

It took a while for Barnaby to fall back asleep, knowing that Kotetsu had seen just how big of a fan he was of Wild Tiger. He was beyond embarrassed, and it hurt to know that his partner knew now. The added stress, Barnaby was sure, was not good for his growing fever.

 

* * *

 

Mask in place, Kotetsu entered the police station, determined to get Barnaby the information he needed to begin. Presenting his hero ID card to the woman at the front desk, he then requested access to the investigation files of last night's incident.

Seeing Kotetsu getting the files from the fire the night previous, Albert Maverick smiled and moved over to the hero. “Kotetsu, good to see you here bright and early. What’s the occasion?”

"Oh, Sir!" Kotetsu smiled, tucking the files under his arm. "There was a fire last night that us heroes helped with—it was at the place Bunny's parents work and he's worried because they weren't found. He's not feeling well today so I told him I'll see what the reports on the incident says about it."

“Oh well that’s too bad that he’s ill. I’m sure he really wanted to help today.”

"I think he stressed himself out too much." Kotetsu shook his head, "Poor kid…"

“I’d be stressed too if my parents were missing. Barnaby has always had a good relationship with his parents. It’d be a shame to suddenly have them out of his life.” He shook his head slowly.

"Yeah…" He sighed and slouched his shoulders, "Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this quickly. Last night a girl said she saw a guy with this strange tattoo on his hand grab Mrs. Brooks, and that leads us to believe that they weren't in the fire at all."

“A tattoo, you say. Do you know what the tattoo looked like? I might be able to help.”

"Yeah, the girl drew it for us—well, as she remembered it. She had gotten caught in the fire and it was, I'm sure, a terrifying experience so I wouldn't blame her if her memory of what she saw was a bit shaky. But it looked like a snake biting its tail while being stabbed with a sword." Kotetsu said, drawing a circle in the air with his finger.

“A snake biting its tail… Can’t say that I’ve seen such a symbol. Are you sure that’s what the girl drew?”

"Yes, but like I said, she had just been pulled out of the burning facility. The smoke may have gotten to her and messed with her memory. I'm skeptical of it, but will look into the symbol, anyway, just in case it is significant. Meanwhile, we have a small lead on someone to look for if they have a tattoo similar in shape on his or her hand."

“Did you think about the possibility of her messing with you? Lying to you so she could get away with something?”

"We have her contact information from her report." Kotetsu shrugged, "I know people do lie, but it's still worth looking into the tattoo." He sighed and looked down at the file he held, "I want to help bring Bunny's parents back safely. I lost my wife unavoidably…but Mr. and Mrs. Brooks? They still have a chance." He looked back up at the older man, "You made Bunny my partner, and I want to be a supportive one to him. Right now…he needs his parents. I don't want him to fall into a similar darkness that I did by experiencing loss…"

“I believe you’ll help him out just fine. All you have to do is support him.  Barnaby is a strong boy; he can make it through this.”

"I hope so. But still, I will see he gets his parents back safe and sound."

"That sounds like the best you can do at the moment. And let me handle that tattoo business. It'll be a load off of your shoulders while you take care of Barnaby. He needs all the help he can get right now, and you being his partner, you're the best person to help him."

"You really don't have to, sir. You are a busy man."

"I can take this. I'm involved if Barnaby and his parents are involved. This is a big situation that needs a lot of attention, and I'm willing to devote my time to helping out. Please, I'll take care of the tattoo, you take care of everything else." He gave Kotetsu a smile, though not a huge one.

"Well…alright." Kotetsu shrugged, "Let Bunny or I know if you find out something."

"I will. Make sure Barnaby knows he's well taken care of, should something terrible happen." With that, Maverick moved on to the elevator to his office.

"Of course he is…" Kotetsu sighed and walked out of the building. The file was a copy and not the original, so he was able to take it with him, and he wanted to sit some place he wouldn't be disturbed as he read over the file.

 

* * *

 

Barnaby had been drifting in and out of sleep all morning, running to the bathroom only a few more times to empty his stomach. Mostly he woke up because of his stomach, but a few times it was because of his dreams. He just wanted to rest, and it was hard to do so properly with so many runs to the bathroom.

At least with the sudden phone call, he didn't have to get up. He groaned when the tone went off, blindly reaching out for the phone. When he finally had it in his hand, he hit the answer button and held the phone up to his face with some difficulty. "Hello," came his groggy answer.

There was a pause before a girl's voice spoke, "…Who's this?"

“Barnaby…” He sat up and yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Eh—what?!" The girl gasped, "Barnaby…Barnaby Brooks Jr.?!"

“Yes, that’s me.” He grimaced, holding the phone away from his ear. “Mind if I ask who this is?”

"Oh my god! Is my dad with you? Did he ask you to answer the phone to surprise me? He said he may not get a chance to go to your signing today. Oh! I'm Kaede Kaburagi—you saved me once! I'm a huge fan!" Kaede gushed.

“Oh, Kaede, hello. Your dad is busy right now. He asked me to hold onto his phone for him.” Barnaby shook his head, forgetting that he had that sighing today, and apparently Kotetsu had left his phone in the apartment… on the his bed, maybe it had dropped from his pocket...

"Um…how are you doing? I saw on TV what happened…"

“I’m doing well, thank you. I had a little fever this morning, but I’m doing better now.”

"Oh good. I was really worried. Don't tell my dad, but if something happened to him I'd…I really don't know what I'd do…"

“I know what you mean. With my parents gone right now, it’s a little hard to keep a happy attitude.” He yawned again and leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"You'll find them. You're the best hero!" she encouraged.

“Oh I’m not the best. I’m just the newest. I have a lot to learn from all the others before I can be the best hero.”

"Trust me, you're the best. Most of the others seem so useless, watching them on TV. Origami Cyclone never does anything but get in the background when others do something, Blue Rose has a nice entrance but the moment something gets rough she runs away, Rock Bison gets stuck a lot, and Wild Tiger just messes up everything all the time. You always do your best to save people. Though Sky High is good, too. And I suppose Dragon Kid and Fire Emblem do good work, but you always do it the best!"

“All the heroes are good in their own way. Tiger, for example, though he can be messy, he uses force a lot, and that stuns the criminals a lot of times. Gives me plenty of time to take them down before they can escape.” Barnaby looked at his clock and made a face, wondering if Kotetsu would be coming back soon for lunch.

"He breaks stuff and is really clumsy. I feel bad you have to work with a guy like that."

“I couldn’t ask for a better partner, actually.”

"Eeeeh? But he's not cool at all!"

"Tiger may not seem cool at first, but once you get to know him, he's actually quite an interesting person. He's more caring for other people, puts himself last. If you knew him like I do, you'd understand." He grimaced a little, knowing Kaede knew more about Kotetsu than he did.

"I'm not convinced." The girl said in a flat tone. "But I don't want to talk about lame old heroes past their prime—I want to talk about you if you are available! I'm on my lunch break so I can!"

"It's flattering that you'd want to talk. I'm just the rookie. But I really should be getting more rest so I can get back to being the best hero you say I am."

"Rest? Aren't you doing those signings? How did my dad find you?"

"I...postponed the signings. Giving myself a little extra time recover..."

"Then…how..?"

"I was out a little while ago. Found him, and we talked for a little bit before had to go do something. He said he'd be right back, so he left his phone with me."

"Ahh, I'm sorry my dad acted weird. How embarrassing. He should really keep his phone with him in any case!"

Barnaby heard his apartment door open and someone shuffle inside with plastic bags. "Bunny! Are you awake? I'm going to start making you lunch—oh, did I leave my pone someplace? I can't find it…"

"Yes, I have your phone," Barnaby called back to Kotetsu, then returned to talking to Kaede. "Hey, it was nice talking to you, but I really have to go now."

"Awwwe, okay… Bub-bye, Barnaby." The girl squealed before hanging up.

Kotetsu walked into the bedroom, "Oh good! I thought I lost it when I couldn't find it to text you earlier."

Barnaby yawned as he handed the phone over to Kotetsu. "Your daughter called."

"Thanks, thank—what?" Kotetsu paused and looked at him, "…she did? Did you answer?"

"Yeah. Talked to her for a few minutes. She was very energetic."

Kotetsu's eyes widened as he looked down at his phone, "…She…doesn't know we are partners…"

"I told her we met and talked before you remembered you had to do something so you left your phone with me."

He slumped, "She's going to scold me next phone call…"

"Why's that?" Another yawn came from the blond as he held his head gently.

Kotetsu shook his head, "Never mind. How are you feeling?"

Barnaby shrugged and sighed. “I had to run to the bathroom a couple of times. I don’t think my fever is gone.”

Kotetsu nodded, "Well, you should still try to eat something. Lay here and rest a bit longer and I'll go make us Lunch."

“Gladly. I feel like death.” He grabbed his head as he fell back against the pillows.

Kotetsu brushed curls out of Barnaby's face before leaving to the kitchen where he expertly made up fried rice and dished them into bowls before returning to the bedroom and sitting in the edge of Barnaby's bed to coax him to sit up and try to eat.

Before he ate anything, Barnaby felt like he needed to explain some things to Kotetsu, and he wasn’t going to eat until he got those things off his chest. “Look… about my room. I didn’t want you to think I was creepy or anything… I mean, I have Wild Tiger stuff everywhere. It’s unnatural for a grown man to have as many Wild Tiger things as I do without it being weird. So I didn’t want you to come in here before I had a chance to put everything away, or when I felt you wouldn’t judge me.”

Kotetsu shrugged, "You should see my collection of Mr. Legend stuff I have at my Mom's place, though she packed it all up in boxes when I moved to Sternbild. Besides…" Kotetsu smirked, "It's nice to know I have at least one fan these days." He pushed the bowl at Barnaby, "Now eat up."

“So you’re not upset or creeped out by this? Your view of me hasn’t changed any has it?” He flushed a little, taking the bowl.

"Of course not. Though…I do wonder if you confessed to Wild Tiger or to Kotetsu…" he admitted.

“I knew Wild Tiger before Kotetsu, and I didn’t have a crush on Wild Tiger. Once I knew who you were under the mask, I couldn’t stop my feelings for you. They just sort of… happened.” He shrugged.

Kotetsu nodded, "Thank you. That helps a lot."

“I… don’t know how that helps. But you’re welcome.” Barnaby took a small spoonful of the fried rice. “This is really good…”

Kotetsu grinned, "See? Mayo tastes good in fried rice!"

“It really does. I’m impressed.” He set the bowl down with a tired look. “Though, I don’t think I can eat much of it now. I might throw it back up.”

"That's why I gave you a small helping. There are lots more in the kitchen, but for now, just eat what you can stomach."

“I’m done for now. I don’t feel like eating anything right now. Sorry.” He sighed and looked around his room.

"I ran into Mr. Maverick today when I was getting a copy of the report from the police." Kotetsu mentioned between mouthfuls of rice.

“What did he have to say this morning? I bet he wasn’t happy I was sick today.”

"Actually, he was very understanding and requested that I look after you. He also offered to help look into that tattoo lead we got last night."

“Really? Without Maverick, a lot of my hero career would have gone up in flames. He’s a good man.” A small smile crept onto Barnaby’s lips.

"Seems like it." Kotetsu agreed, "I brought over the report for you to go over. I already went over it myself and made notes, but maybe you have a better eye for key things."

“I’ll take a look at it later today. I’m going to sleep more before I try to focus on the report.”

"Good." Kotetsu finished off his bowl and stood up, stretching, "I need to get back to work. I definitely have my phone this time so call me if you need anything. I put the file on your chair."

“Okay. Thanks for lunch, even though I didn’t eat much.” He smiled at Kotetsu, trying not to show that he felt terrible.

"It's fine. Just get yourself feeling better. I'll swing by again after work to check on you before going home."

“If I’m not better by tonight… could you stay again? I don’t mean to keep you away from home but…”

"Uh, in that case I should get myself some fresh clothes before I head over here." Kotetsu smiled and ruffled Barnaby's messy curls again. It was becoming addictive to do so.

“Great, thanks again, Kotetsu.” Barnaby chuckled a little when his hair was ruffled, which he had to admit, he was getting used to the ruffling. It was something he wouldn’t allow anyone else to do except his parents, but he really enjoyed the physical touch.

"Of course." Kotetsu flashed him a smile before leaving.

“God, I love that man,” the blond said after Kotetsu had left.

* * *

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

Barnaby was back to normal health in just a few days. The rest had helped him greatly with his stressed induced illness, but the slight despair he had with his parents being lost still had a slight effect on him. Most of his time while at work was occupied by doing research on who his parents’ kidnappers might be. Maverick had assured him that the tattoo was taken care of, though no more information was given after that.

The blond let out a heavy sigh, collapsing on his desk and groaning. “I give up.” came his muffled words.

"Don't do that." Kotetsu frowned, tuning in his seat to look at Barnaby, "I never said this would be easy, but it is doable. We just need to keep following leads."

“My head hurts, and I’m exhausted. I can’t handle any more of this.”  One green eye peeked out from behind blond curls, looking at Kotetsu tiredly.

"Then take a break. You don't have to work on it all day and night. That will just make you sick again."

“I’ll gladly take my break. I can’t think straight right now.” He stood and stretched. “You want something to drink while I’m up?”

"Sure." Kotetsu smiled before turning back to the report on his screen.

Barnaby nodded and turned on his heel and went out into the hall to the vending machines. The colds drinks were set on the desks of the two when he returned.  “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got you Pepsi. I hope that’s okay.”

"I'm not picky, thanks." Kotetsu said, cracking it open and taking a sip.

“No problem,” he replied with a smile. He opened up his can and took a long drink.

"Hey, Bunny…look at this." Kotetsu pointed to his screen, "I talked to the security at the place your parents work and they said they had cameras in the facility that sends the footage to another building on the other side of the property—so it wasn't destroyed in the fire. They gave me a DVD copy of it from the night of the fire, and watching it, we can see the tattoo hand guy."

Barnaby looked up with interest, leaning over the barrier between their desks. He was silent as he watched, then spoke up when the man came into view. “Pause the video,” he said quietly.

Kotetsu did as asked, showing the man's full, heavy body, tattoo visible as he held up a clipboard, blocking his face as if he knew exactly where every camera was located. Behind him, however, were a team of other masked people carrying documents and equipment—and Barnaby's missing parents slung over shoulders.

“Mom, Dad…” The blond moved closer, pressing against Kotetsu unknowingly as he tried to see who the larger man was. “Can you zoom in on that larger guy?”

"At least we can confirm they were not in the fire." Kotetsu said and sighed, "Here, you take control. It took me forever to figure out DVDs on computers. I don't know how to zoom."

“Have that much trouble with technology, old man?” Barnaby would have laughed, but he was too focused on the footage. He moved closer, taking the video and zooming in on the one frame. “He looks familiar… But I can’t quite tell who he looks like.”

"No face…" Kotetsu sighed, "He has it covered in every shot. One of those guys was the one to start the fire if you rewind." Kotetsu said, pointing.

Barnaby did rewind the clip, watching as one of the smaller guys set off the fire. He growled a bit with his hands balling up.

"Easy there, Bunny." Kotetsu placed a hand on Bunny's fist, "You can't change what happened."

“That bastard… if it weren’t for him, my parents would still be here, safe.” He pushed himself away from the computer with a huff.

"Hey," Kotetsu caught him, pulling him into a hug, "We'll find them. We'll get them back safe and you'll arrest that bastard that took them and their work."

Without thinking, Barnaby hugged him back tight, burying his face in the older man's shoulder. "They'll all pay..."

Kotetsu placed a fatherly hand on Bunny's head, "I know you will make them pay. Just do me a favor and do it right. No rushing in without thinking."

"I promise..." He clutched Kotetsu's shirt while trying to contain his emotions. All he wanted was to have his parents back, but it was proving to be a difficult task just to find out who their kidnapper was.

"Good boy." Kotetsu smiled and pulled back, "I'm going to talk to Mr. Maverick after work today to see if he has found anything. Maybe afterwards we could meet up for dinner and go over notes again."

"Okay...but I don't know how much you'll get out of Maverick. He's not been wanting to share things with me lately. It's odd behavior from him."

"It could be that he's only turned up dead ends and doesn't want to admit it to you because he knows how stressed out you already are about this whole thing."

"I guess that could be a reason." Barnaby sighed and put his hands on his hips. "It hurts to think of all the possibilities of the situation."

"I know. But try to stay positive, okay?"

"I'll try." He smiled gently at Kotetsu.

Kotetsu nodded, having the sudden urge to calm Barnaby further with a soft kiss upon the lips—but neither of them needed that right now. He needed to stay more fatherly to the younger man until they sorted this out, then they could focus on Barnaby's confession and Kotetsu's growing feelings towards his partner. It had shocked him how quickly he realized how romantic his feelings for Barnaby had gotten after he allowed himself to open up to the idea of letting go of the past and looking forward in his life. He wasn't a man who would fall in love often, so finding Bunny after Tomoe was almost a miracle. The fact that Bunny would develop the same feelings…that was a miracle. But then again, so had Tomoe's feelings for him.

Barnaby found himself leaning closer to Kotetsu, to which he moved back quickly, slightly flushed at the thoughts running through his head. He should have been ashamed, yet he couldn’t bring himself to think of himself as ashamed. It was like Kotetsu was starting to feel the way he did, and that excited him.

“I’m going to keep looking over files and that video. Could you go see if Maverick knows any more about the tattoo? I really think that information will help if we have it.”

"Sure, and if not, then nothing says we can't help. Maybe check out a few tattoo shops and ask around. Maybe if you know how to, print off a picture from the video of the guy's tattoo hand to take. It's more accurate than the drawing." Kotetsu pulled away and grabbed his hat off his desk, placing it on his head.

Barnaby nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Kotetsu.” He went back to looking through the video to see if anything else about the tattooed man could be found.

 

* * *

 

Kotetsu strolled into the building with confidence, going right to the lift and going up to the floor Maverick's office was located on. His secretary wasn't at the front desk, so he slipped on past, just to let Maverick know he was waiting to talk to him once he was free to do so, and that he'd be waiting outside in one of the plush chairs offered to any waiting to see the man.

"I told you never to visit me here." Maverick's voice drifted through the hall from the office where the door was open a crack.

Kotetsu frowned. It seemed the man was busy.

"We're having difficulties. They aren't cooperating." Someone responded.

"Then make them cooperate! Do you know how risky this whole mess is? We need to get moving and get the project finished before it's too late and we no longer _have_ them as a resource." Maverick snapped.

"Couldn't you have just used your—"

"No. It messes too much with their heads the more I do that. I need them sharp and focused.  Remember what happened to the last guy twenty years ago? Still locked up in the mental ward—a complete vegetable in the head. We can't afford to risk that with these two. I'll wipe them clean once their work is done."

Kotetsu frowned, furrowing his brow. Something wasn't right in there… He lowered the hand that had been about to knock and instead, moved to peer through the crack between the door and door frame.

Maverick stood with his back to the door, facing a rough looking man who seemed very out of place in such a luxury office.

"What about their boy?" the man asked.

Maverick scowled and turned away, walking over to a table to mix up a drink for himself. "You aren't to touch him. I'll handle it. We can't afford suspicion of a conspiracy to start. The police and heroes are already on edge looking for the Brooks. Barnaby needs to stay where he is and clueless to what's going on. He needs to keep trusting me. Besides, I partnered him up with the biggest failure on the hero force in order to keep him distracted. That Wild Tiger will serve his part in this, just wait things out and focus on your own tasks."

Kotetsu's eyes widened, his stomach churning uncomfortably. What was going on? Did Maverick have something to do with the fire? He—he was of a similar build to the man on the security footage…

Maverick turned, lifting his hand holding a glass and taking a sip—the tattoo clear upon his hand.

Kotetsu gasped, his hand trying to muffle the sound. Bunny—he needed to warn Bunny and tell the police! He backed up, turning to flee.

"I heard something." The man with Maverick growled, marching over to the door and yanking it open just in time to see Kotetsu's form turn the corner. "Shit! Someone was out there!"

"This is why I told you not to come here!" Maverick shouted, "Get him. He can't get away."

"Yes sir." The man said, taking chase.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Kotetsu gasped, taking out his phone as he heard someone behind him. He turned to take the stairs down to the main floor as he tried to find Barnaby's number on his phone while paying careful attention not to trip.

By the time he got outside, he'd finally dialed the right number and held it up to his ear, listening to it ring without answer.

"Come on, answer, Bunny! Ahh--! Sorry, sorry!" He said as he bumped into people on the street.

Finally, Barnaby's voice mail took his call and he waited for the beep.

"Bunny! I need to talk to you! I know—I know who the man with the tattoo is! It's—shit!" Kotetsu gasped, dropping the phone as he jumped back as a large war-like machine suddenly appeared, nearly crushing him; though it did crush his phone.

People screamed as they fled, Kotetsu among them.

"Mask, mask!" He tried to pull it from his pocket as he ran. It was after him—he knew that. And he needed to lead it away from civilians and take it down before anyone was hurt or worse.

 

* * *

 

Barnaby’s phone had been on silent when Kotetsu had called, and the blond didn’t see that his phone lit up. It surprised him once he finally picked up his phone to see that he had both a missed call and a voice message from Kotetsu. He listened to the desperate voice of his partner, blinking when the message suddenly cut off with what sounded like some sort of machine at the end and static. He stood up quickly and tried to call Kotetsu.

No answer came, only a dead, crackling sound. Barnaby was disturbed by the sound, and he rushed to head out where he knew Kotetsu had gone. What he had expected was Kotetsu to be in trouble. What he didn’t expect was the huge machine trashing the place.

Barnaby came to a halt when he caught sight of the machine, eyes wide and mouth open. He looked around at the scrambling people, searching for Kotetsu but failing to find him as his call band lit up with Agnes' call into action.

 

* * *

 

Kotetsu had gotten his mask on and lead the robot to a less populated area to try and fight it, unknowing that more had appeared and were wreaking havoc upon the section of Gold Stage to distract and thin out both the heroes and the police and firefighters. It also was a good way to keep Kotetsu separate so he couldn't alert the world to Maverick's plot.

He activated his power once he was sure no one else would get hurt, and he stopped fleeing, turning to face his robotic opponent.

He leapt up; taking aim to punch it off its feet with a Wild Roar. But it swatted him to the side, sending him flying into the wall of a building, bricks crumbling with the impact. Once he fell to the ground again, he took a few seconds to shake it off and try again. He had only five minutes, and he wasn't going to waste it.

Again and again he took hits, delivering few until finally, the blue glow of his powers died and he fell to the ground once more, gasping as not even a second after impact the robot's foot came down upon his left leg, causing him to scream out in pain. It held him there, unmoving as another face appeared above his swimming vision.

"You have turned into more trouble than you are worth, Kaburagi." Maverick sneered, reaching down and placing his hand over his eyes, thumb, pinkie, and ring finger pressing at his temples, "I can't have you running off and spoiling everything."

The man began to glow blue and Kotetsu felt as if his mind was being shredded and picked through as he screamed out again before darkness took him.

 

* * *

 

Barnaby screamed out for Kotetsu, still unable to find his partner. After it seemed that the heroes and police had the situation in the area controlled, the blond went off to search for the older hero. For the longest time, he couldn’t find Kotetsu, which caused him to panic more than he already was.

Finally, Barnaby caught sight of Maverick crouched over Kotetsu. “Mr. Maverick!” He ran towards the two, noting the seemingly dead machine just in front of them.

"Barnaby?" Maverick stood up, "Oh good, I just called for an ambulance. This thing suddenly attacked and your partner saved me—but he's hurt. Could you go with him? Make sure he's okay for me?"

“Oh my god…” Barnaby’s hand flew up to his mouth when he saw Kotetsu’s damaged leg. Tears formed in his eyes as he fell to his knees beside the brunet. “Y-yeah… I’ll go with him…”

"He's a true hero, your partner…taking on this thing alone to save me and the others that had been here…" Maverick shook his head sadly, "He came to me asking about that strange tattoo, and I wanted to get fresh air so we came out for a walk while we discussed it when suddenly this thing attacked—and look." He pointed to the symbol etched into the shiny black metal of the robot's body. "That's it, isn't it? Based on the description…"

He only nodded, glancing at the symbol lightly as most of his attention was focused on his partner. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

"…His leg looks bad…and I think he hit his head pretty hard, but he should recover." The man sighed. "Poor man…"

An ambulance finally pulled up and the medics rushed over with a gurney, working quickly to move Kotetsu's body onto it, being careful of his leg after freeing it from under the still robot. The damage showing to be even worse than Barnaby had first assumed.

"Go with him. I'll be over to the hospital myself after speaking with police." Maverick encouraged the blond.

“Okay… Thanks for staying with him until I arrived.” He looked back at Maverick with a small smile, then followed the unconscious brunet into the ambulance. He was silent all the way to the hospital, silently pleading for Kotetsu to be okay.

* * *

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12

Kotetsu’s leg was injured beyond repair, and when Barnaby was told that by the doctor, he had to sit and let his tears fall. It hurt emotionally to know he let his partner get hurt. If only he hadn’t sent Kotetsu off to get information about the tattoo.

The doctors had to amputate the leg just above the knee, the surgery taking hours to perform properly so that his nerves would heal properly, and once all his wounds were cleaned and bandaged, they wheeled him into a recovery room. Kotetsu had yet to wake up, but they allowed visitors so long as they didn't disturb him.

The doctor stepped out into the waiting room to let any visitors know, and before Barnaby could even stand up, an older Japanese woman who had been waiting across the room rushed up to the man, "My boy, is my boy alright?" her voice was heavy with a Japanese accent.

"It's alright, Mrs. Kaburagi, Your son is out of surgery and stable. He has yet to awaken but you may sit by his side should you wish."

“Can I go in too?” Barnaby stood with a worried expression and moved closer to the older woman, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. “I’m his partner…”

"Of course, Mr. Brooks." The doctor nodded, giving them both the room number.

The woman looked up at him, "You—you're Barnaby…What happened? I didn’t see him on TV but then the hospital called." The woman seemed to be trembling.

“I didn’t see what happened. I found him with Mr. Maverick, and he was already passed out at the time. There were a bunch of machines that attacked, and Kotetsu fought one on his own away from the rest of us. We didn't know where he was and we'd lost communication with him...” Barnaby sighed and rubbed his neck. “Come on, we’ll both go see him.” He put a hand on her back and led her to the room where Kotetsu was resting.

Upon entering the room, Kotetsu's mother, Anju, rushed to his side, holding onto his hand. "Oh Kotetsu—Kotetsu my baby boy. What am I going to tell Kaede?"

Barnaby moved onto the other side of the bed and gently lifted the covers, covering his mouth when he saw Kotetsu’s amputated leg. He shook his head, blaming himself for what happened. “Kotetsu, I’m so sorry…”

The woman looked up at the blond again, "Sorry? For what? You didn't attack my boy."

“I shouldn’t have sent him out. He wouldn’t be like this if I had kept him in the office.” He let the blanket fall back down onto Kotetsu’s legs, then took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

"Now you listen here, young man. You did not cause this to happen. Those things would have attacked regardless, and as a hero my Kotetsu would have gone there regardless. There is no keeping him in an office once the city is in danger."

“That… you’re certainly right about that, ma’am. Kotetsu can’t be contained behind a desk when there’s danger anywhere in the city.” Barnaby managed a small chuckle and a soft look at the older woman. “I’m sorry, I believe I don’t know your name.”

"Kaburagi Anju." The woman stated, taking his hand and giving a small bow. "And you are 'Bunny'. Kotetsu has told me a lot about you."

“Oh yeah? Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. I talk about him all the time too. Ah… maybe not in the same way, but I do talk about him.” Barnaby flushed slightly.

"It is hard to say if it's in the same way…but I do know that you have managed to put a spark back into him that I haven't seen in years. It truly makes me wonder about you…"

“I didn’t really try to do that. I just became his work partner, that’s it.” He shrugged, not really sure if he could trust this woman with his secret. She seemed nice enough, at least.

"Oh, I doubt that. It takes more than showing up to work to make my youngest's heart pound. It took a special woman to catch his heart…and now a special young man. I know when my sons are falling in love, even when they don't know it themselves. The way he lights up when he talks about you—is the same as he had been with his late wife."

“Oh… really?” He flushed more, looking down at the floor. “I’m sorry, he probably talks about me all the time then, especially if you know my nickname.”

"Nothing to be sorry about." She smiled, patting his hand before looking back down at her son, "…Kotetsu…as reckless as your father had been…"

“… Excuse me for asking, but since Kotetsu never talked about his father, what’s he like? Just out of curiosity.”

"Kotetsu…never knew his father." Anju sighed, "He was an amazing man, my Bidziil. Brave and loving. He was my reason to move here from Japan, though neither of our families approved, but he didn't care. He often said our love was stronger than the river's currents." Anju's eyes softened and sparkled as she spoke of her husband. It was clear she was still deeply in love. "I loved the contrast between our skin when we held hands, and the way his long black hair felt when he asked me to braid it for him…"

She sighed and got herself back on track. "He was a fire fighter, and he had a habit of acting before he could think when people were trapped inside. He'd always insist upon rushing in to save them. Oh, I worried, especially after our first son, Muramasa was born… He told me not to worry."

A saddened look fell across her face then as she reached out to touch her younger son's cheek, "I was pregnant with Kotetsu…six months along when I received the news… Bidziil had rushed inside a burning house to save a little girl trapped inside, and the roof collapsed…neither of them survived… Kotetsu's so much like him…"

Barnaby’s expression was happy when the older woman started talking about her husband, but by the end he was devastated. Not knowing one’s father, it had to have been hard. “I’m so sorry about your husband… I bet Kotetsu reminds you of him every day.”

"He does—but in a good way, usually." She sighed, "Times like this…not so much. This makes me wish he had chosen a safer career…"

“I doubt you would have been able to change his mind.”

"No, no one could." She agreed.

The two were silent for a while; both wishing Kotetsu would wake up soon. Barnaby was dreading the moment Kotetsu woke up though. To tell him why he couldn’t feel his leg… It would be difficult to tell him. Just the thought made Barnaby shake a little. He wondered when Maverick would arrive at the hospital.

It wasn't much longer before the door opened again and Maverick himself stepped in, looking troubled.

“Mr. Maverick!” Barnaby shot up out of his chair and scrambled over to the man. “Did you find out anything? Please tell me you found out something…”

"Calm down, Barnaby." The man smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I have given my report to the police and press of how Wild Tiger saved my life, I didn't involve myself in the investigation. I was, however, told Mr. Wild Tiger's condition. I deeply regret it."

"You…were there when my son..?"

Maverick looked at Anju and nodded, "I was with him when those things attacked. I saw the whole thing and I owe him my life. If there is anything I can do to help your son, Ma'am, please don't hesitate to contact me. But for now, I offer to pay for the best prostatic leg money can buy. One of the Brooks' designs. I can guarantee that once he relearns how to walk with one, it will be the most comfortable option and its robotic perks would be an added bonus. If you will accept the gift for him, I'll place the order first thing in the morning."

Barnaby smiled and looked at Anju. “It’d help Kotetsu greatly, and he’ll be back to walking quicker. I promise, it’ll be the best option for him.”

"Y-you don't have to spend so much money!" The woman gasped.

"Honestly, my dear, it is only a drop in the bucket for me. I own quite a few successful businesses here in Sternbild, and as I have funded quite a few projects for the Brooks over the years, I was offered a handsome discount on any of their products. Please, allow me to thank the man who saved my life in the best way I know how."

She sighed and nodded, "Alright, as long as it isn't too much trouble." She gave the man a bow.

“Trust me, it’s not a trouble at all.” Barnaby grabbed her hand a squeezed it. “He’s better with one of the Brooks prosthetics that anything else. The technology in them will help Kotetsu greatly, I promise.”

"I…hope so…" She looked back at her son, "I don't want to know what will happen if he can't be Wild Tiger anymore…"

The blond turned back to Maverick with a huge smile. “Thank you, Sir. You don’t know how important this is to Mrs. Kaburagi and I.”

"Of course, you are probably eager to get your partner back. How is your relationship, by the way? We haven't spoken in some time about it. I hope you two work together as well as it appears on Hero TV."

“Oh, y-yeah. We’re just fine now. Those small quarrels don’t come up anymore.” Barnaby chuckled lightly, trying to hide his reddened face by dipping it down. While he kept his head down, he thought he caught a glimpse of something dark on Maverick’s hand. He didn’t make any sort of gesture to show he had noticed it.

"Good, that's good to hear. You two are learning a lot from each other, I hope." He turned to Anju and bowed his head, "I wish your son will recover quickly, but I must take my leave." He said before bowing out, leaving the two alone with Kotetsu once more.

Only when Maverick left did Barnaby show his concern over what he saw. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but he had an idea, and he didn’t like it. He went back to the chair he had been sitting in and lowered himself into it slowly, eyes full of concern.

 

* * *

 

Two days passed before Kotetsu finally awoke, groaning as he shifted, body in pain, and his head throbbing in the worst hangover he could ever imagine. Had he been out drinking the night before? He couldn't quite remember, but he had to have been. Everything was fuzzy and he felt like he would rather die than open his eyes to the bright morning light he knew would blind him and cause his headache to worsen.

Barnaby had been dozing off after a long day at work. He was exhausted, yet he still found his way to the hospital after all his paperwork was finished for the day. When Kotetsu woke up, Barnaby was almost ready to give in to sleep until he heard the small groan from his partner. His eyes shot open immediately and he looked over at the brunet. “Kotetsu? Are you awake?”

"Bunny?" Kotetsu gave a long groan, "Did I call you drunk again? Sorry…" he covered his eyes with the back of his arm.

“No, you didn’t get drunk… You were attacked, remember? By one of those giant machines a few days ago. You… your leg…” He sighed and shook his head.

"Attacked?" He removed his arm and tried to open his eyes, "Uhg, it's too bright, Bunny…"

“Yeah, your leg was crushed when your power ran out. The doctors had to amputate it…”

"Bunny, it's bright…please turn down the light…"

Barnaby got up slowly and moved towards the light switches, turning off half of the lights in the room. “There, that better?”

"Thank you." Kotetsu finally was able to open his eyes, looking around the hospital room. "A…hospital?"

“A hospital, yes. I said you were attacked. You were knocked out for two days.”

"…Two days?" Kotetsu frowned, "…I don't remember…"

“Maverick did say you hit your head pretty hard. Oh, which reminds me. You said you knew who the man with the tattoo was. Can you still remember who?”

"Man…with a tattoo? What tattoo?" Kotetsu gave a confused look before he shuttered in pain.

“What tattoo – Kotetsu, the weird symbol with the snake biting its tail? That tattoo!”

"Hu? That seems like an odd thing to put on your skin…"

“Kotetsu… do you remember my parents being kidnapped?” Barnaby moved closer with a worried expression.

Kotetsu's eyes widened, "They were kidnapped?! By who? I'll help you track them down, Bunny!"

"You should know all this stuff, Kotetsu..." He sat back down in the chair, looking a little hurt that Kotetsu didn't remember. It was the man with the tattoo on his hand that kidnapped them. Don't you remember?"

"No…last thing I remember was…was going out to dinner with you and ordering our drinks…"

"And you don't remember at all you hugging me to calm me down? After I found out my parents were gone, I was a mess, but you came a held me tight..." He felt his eyes grow wet. "Damn it, Kotetsu..."

"I'm—I'm sorry, I don't remember…everything's so fuzzy…it hurts when I try to remember these things you are talking about…"

"Forget about them, then. I can find my parents myself I guess." A heavy sigh escaped the blond and he wiped his eyes dry.

"Bunny!" Kotetsu reached out to grab Barnaby's hand, "Please don't be mad at me…I…I don't know what happened or what it is I can't remember, but I'm still your partner—I'll help you find them once they let me leave. And who knows? Maybe I'll start to remember in a day or two?"

"I think it's Maverick..."

"Maverick? The guy who made us partners?" Kotetsu grunted as he pushed himself up.

"I think he has the tattoo. You said you knew who it was because you saw something, right? Was it Maverick you saw with the tattoo?"

Kotetsu tried to think back and remember, but the more he tried, the more he found himself holding his head, clutching his hair. It was like there was a void in his mind, one that would suck him in if he got too close—and it scared him. Panting, he shook his head, giving up as he groaned, swaying.

With a sigh, Barnaby gave up trying to pry information out of Kotetsu. Instead, he moved closer and took the brunet's hands and smiled. "Hey, sorry I got upset at you. I'm still really stressed about what happened... I suppose you don't remember taking care of me when I was sick."

"You—you were sick? Did I cook for you? I should have cooked something nice for you!"

"You made me your fried rice. It was actually pretty good. Blew my taste buds away." He chuckled and looked into Kotetsu's eyes, getting lost in their honey color.

"Good, good." Kotetsu smiled and sighed, "Hey, mind helping me stretch my legs a bit? They feel heavy and sluggish. Then you can update me on everything I'm missing up here." He pointed to his head before maneuvering himself around to the edge of the bed and pulling the blankets off his legs before he froze, one leg dangling off the side and one stopping short right before where he knew his knee should have been. His hospital-provided pajama pants had been cut short to allow easy access to the injury so the nurses wouldn't have to undress him every day for changing the bandages, and also allowing him to see clearly what was missing from his body.

"B-Bunny…" he reached out with a trembling hand to touch it, expecting to feel his knee beyond the bandages.

"Kotetsu... I told you...they amputated your leg. It was injured beyond repair." He held Kotetsu's hand tight, fighting back small tears. "It was shattered by that machine that attacked you."

"I—I…my leg…" Kotetsu gasped, trying to move it and only succeeding in lifting his stub. "Bunny—B-Bunny!" How was he going to be a hero now? How was he going to help his beautiful partner? How could he fulfill his promises without being able to get up and walk on his own two feet?

"Hey, relax. You don't need to freak out too much. The doctors will be on you if your heart rate goes up too much." Without thinking, Barnaby pulled Kotetsu into a tight hug, holding the man close to calm him, much like how Kotetsu had held him before.

Tears soaked through Barnaby's shirt as Kotetsu wept silently until finally his cracked voice spoke up again, "I—I'm sorry…I've failed you…"

"No, you never failed me. You did what you could, you did your best. You'll keep doing your best, I know it." He ran a hand through Kotetsu's hair slowly, then dared to place a kiss on the top of his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"How…can I keep being your partner like this?"

“You’ll still be my partner. You’re going to learn how to walk with a prosthetic leg, one of the best that my family has to offer.” He smiled and pulled back to look Kotetsu in the eyes. “I’m going to help you, because I couldn’t ask for a better work partner than you. I promise, you’ll be back to running around soon.”

Kotetsu looked down at his missing leg, unconvinced. He didn't know much about prosthetics, but he did know that they took time getting used to.

“Come on, now. It’s not like you have to quit being a hero. You can still be a great hero with a prosthetic leg.”

"Are you sure? The sponsors may not agree with that."

“I don’t care what the sponsors say, you’ll be a great hero. You’ll appeal to a whole new crowd of viewers too.” Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu’s shoulders. “Don’t think you’ll be useless now, because you’re going to stay my partner for a long time.”

"Bunny…" Kotetsu pulled the younger man into a tight hug.

The blond hugged back and sighed. “It’s okay, I’m here for you. I’ll be there to catch you when you fall.”

"I…I fell a lot before…"

“Then I guess I’ll be catching you a lot then.” He chuckled, holding Kotetsu closer.

"I'm…still sorry… I won't be of much help in finding your parents until I can at least walk on my own."

“You’ll help plenty, don’t you worry. Most of the searching can be done in our office.”

"Bunny… Computers and I don't get along."

“You can stick to the paper then. You get along with paper, right?”

"Yeah, but isn't everything computerized now? Even books are sold like that." He shook his head.

“Trust me, you’ll be helping, no matter what you do, Kotetsu. I believe in you.” He grabbed Kotetsu’s hands and held them tight. “Alright, think you’re awake enough to move around a bit?”

Kotetsu nodded, "Though…should I be moving around? I have never been injured this badly before…"

“You’ve been lying in bed for a few days, your body needs to get moving again. Besides, you won’t be moving much in that wheelchair.” He gestured to the wheelchair in the corner of the room.

Kotetsu seemed to flinch at the idea of using one, "Trust me, no one wants me in one of those. I'll complain too much before going for a joy ride…"

“Oh, you big baby, come here.” Barnaby made a quick move to pick up his partner, then he carried him over to the chair, setting him in it carefully.

"Bunnyyyy!" Kotetsu clung to Barnaby like a child to his parent when he didn’t want to be set down.

“Cooperate, okay? Look we’ll go out and have the doctors call your mom. I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear you’re awake now.”

"…Mom knows?" Kotetsu asked, finally being settled into the chair.

“She does. She was very worried about you a few days ago when you were admitted here. Besides, I’m sure some of the other heroes want to see you’re alright too.” Barnaby made sure Kotetsu was sitting in the chair properly before wheeling him out into the hallway.

Kotetsu sighed, "I've made everyone worry… Does Kaede know?"

“I’m not sure if she knows. Sorry.”

They made it to the front desk, and the woman sitting there was surprised to see Kotetsu awake and in the chair. “Mr. Kaburagi, you’re awake.” She broke out into a smile. “How are you feeling?”

"Like I'm in a lot of pain and missing a major body part…"

“Ah… Have you taken your medicine yet for today? It’ll help the pain a lot.” Her smile faltered a little, but she kept it strong. “I bet you want to see your family. Is it alright if we call them up for you?”

"How should I know? I just woke up to find my memory of a few weeks, I think? –were missing, my leg missing, and Bunny trying to explain to me what happened… Hey—Bunny? Where's my phone? I think it'd help Mom's heart if I called her myself rather than the hospital."

Barnaby bit his lip. “Your phone was smashed by that machine. You don’t have a phone anymore.”

"Ah—that thing was expensive…" he slumped his shoulders and looked up at the nurse, "…Can I use a phone?"

“You certainly can. Here.” The nurse moved the phone she had on her desk so Kotetsu could reach it and dial the number he wanted.

"Thank you." Kotetsu picked the receiver off its cradle and held it up to his ear as he punched in his Oriental Town home phone number, waiting as it rang for his mother, brother, or daughter to pick up. Truthfully, he didn't even know what time it was…

The phone rang for a little bit, but it was soon answered with Muramasa’s calm voice. “Hello?”

"Hey, Muramasa." Kotetsu smiled.

“Kotetsu?! Oh my god, you’re awake now? How are you? Are you doing alright?”

"I'm—in a lot of pain and…I'm missing…and I can't remember anything for the past few weeks I think it is…" he shook his head, "But—How's mom? Kaede? How much has she been told?"

“Kaede hasn’t been told much, but she knows you’re injured. She just doesn’t know to what extent yet. We’re trying to decide when to tell her.”

Kotetsu sighed and nodded, "Maybe I should tell her that Daddy lost his…leg…"

“If you really want to be the one to tell her that, that’s perfectly fine with Mom and I.”

"I want to talk to her, regardless, and I'm her father…"

“Okay, I’ll get her for you.”

The line went silent for a bit, then a sweeter, higher voice came onto the phone. “Dad?! When did you wake up?!”

"Just now, I wanted to talk to you! How have you been? Okay with school?"

“I’m fine. School is fine. Word’s been getting around that Wild Tiger got injured the other day like you with all those machine things. Some kids have been saying that he got his arms crushed or something, but they’re also saying he had to be saved by some old guy. How lame is that?”

"Ehhh? No way! That has to be a fake rumor! I'm sure Wild Tiger is just fine and didn't need saving at all! He's really cool like that, you know!"

“You’ve got to be kidding, Dad! Wild Tiger is old and lame! I’ve seen pictures of him when he was attacked. It looked pretty gross… And that old dude was with him too.”

"What old dude? And he's not lame…"

“I don’t know, the guy was larger, wore glasses. He had this ugly mole on his forehead. Oh, and a tattoo! It was on his hand I think…”

"A tattoo? What did it look like?"

“I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it looked circular.”

"A circle?" Kotetsu repeated, glancing at Barnaby in hopes that it would be helpful. "You know…I heard that that hero you like is looking for a guy with a tattoo on his hand in connection with his parent's disappearance or something…"

“You mean Barnaby?! Oh my gosh I can help him with this! Do you know if he knows what the tattoo looks like? I remember what the man looks like pretty well, so we can put our knowledge together to find the guy!”

No, sorry I can't remember if so but, maybe if you can send me what you know I can see if I can get it to him when I'm released from the hospital—or maybe I'll have Uncle Antonio do it as it seems I'll be here a while… I mean, I'm pretty sure taking it to the Hero TV station they can get it to him quickly. I'll make sure to mention you were the one to spot this tattoo guy."

“So cool! Thanks, Dad! Oh, I forgot to ask… how are you doing? I wasn’t really told anything other than you were injured.”

"Ah—yeah…" Kotetsu sighed and bit his lip a moment, "…I…the doctors had to…remove my leg… I got caught in that attack and…stepped on before I could run away, I guess…"

A small gasp came from Kaede’s end of the line. “Dad… a-are you serious?”

"I—am afraid so…"

“No… no it can’t be true. I don’t believe it! You’re just trying to scare me, Dad!”

"I wish I were… Funny thing is that it feels like it's still there, but when I tried to get up to stretch after waking up…"

“Dad, stop. You’re scaring me! I don’t wanna talk about this anymore…”

"We can stop but it is true. You'll see next time we get to visit each other."

"I want to see you tomorrow. After school. Will you still be at the hospital?"

"Yeah, most likely. I'm still in a lot of pain, so…"

"Okay. Take care of yourself, or I'll make you stay in bed for a week! Don't think I won't do it, Dad."

"I know you will—you are so like your mother at times." Kotetsu laughed, "But it's not like I can get up and make a run for it. I'm stuck behaving for the nurses and doctors."

"Then behave, alright? I don't want you hurting yourself more." There was a pause before Kaede spoke again. "Okay, I have to go to bed now. And you need to rest, I'm sure. Night, Dad! I love you!"

"I love you too. Sweet dreams, Kaede—and don't worry too much about this old man. Concentrate on your school work, okay?"

"I will." With that, Kaede headed off to bed. Muramasa picked up the phone again. "We'll see about coming to the city tomorrow. We might not make it, but I know how much Kaede wants to see you."

"I want to see her, too." Kotetsu agreed, "But I understand if it doesn't happen tomorrow like she wanted."

"We will make it sometime before you get out of the hospital. Mom was telling me about you getting a prosthetic leg to walk with. What's all that about?"

"I am not sure, Bunny said something like that, too…I think his parent's robotics company had produced it so I'm assuming Bunny's getting it for me?"

"It sounds great, to be honest. I think it might help you a lot, but I can't imagine what it'd be like to relearn how to walk. I hope you can do it."

"I…hope so, too."

“You’ll have plenty of people to help you relearn. It’ll be easy.”

"I hope you are right, because if I can't…I'll have to quit being Wild Tiger…"

“Oh, stop that. You’ll still be able to do your job. This isn’t going to stop you, I know for a fact it won’t. It’s hard to stop you when you’re determined to do something, and it’s going to take a hell of a lot to stop you from doing your job.”

"I don't think Kaede will ever think Wild Tiger is cool, though. She thinks I got both arms ripped off and some old guy with a tattoo had to save me."

“Ah, must be rumors going around. You might have to tell her soon, you know.”

"…She's safer and happier not knowing…She'll only worry like you and mom already do. She has enough on her plate just with school and being a teenager…"

“If you’re sure. But if Mom or I have to tell her instead of you, I won’t be happy.”

"You're never happy." Kotetsu pointed out.

“That’s not true. I’m happy a lot of the time.”

"Don't show it. Your face always looks grumpy." The younger brother jabbed at his older brother with a smirk.

“No it doesn’t! Mom can tell you I’m happy a lot of the time.”

"You even looked grumpy at my wedding!"

“I did not! I was smiling, just look at some of your wedding photos.”

"You looked constipated."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Whatever. Mom wants to talk to you now before she goes to bed.”

"Sure, sure, go work on that 'happy face' of yours."

After a bit of silence, Anju finally picked up the phone. “Hello, Kotetsu. How are you this evening?”

"In pain, missing a leg and a few memories, and…Kaede thinks I'm super 'lame'." He pouted into the phone.

“Now, you know that’s not true. She’s really concerned for you, you know. She’s been asking if you’ve woken up yet for the past couple of days.”

"Not me-me, Wild Tiger-me." Kotetsu corrected himself.

“Again, you know it’s not true. You have a lot of fans who support you.”

"I have Bunny, but Kaede told me just now how lame Wild Tiger is…"

“Well, I suppose she’ll have to learn, won’t she? Do you have any idea when you’re going to tell her your job? She doesn’t even know where you work or what you work as.”

"When…she's older." He gave the same answer he's been giving for years.

“Kotetsu, she has to know sometime soon. She won’t like knowing that she had to grow up without knowing what her father really did for a living.”

"But—being a teenager is hard! School, friends, finding where she belongs, discovering herself… She doesn't need to add 'worry about my hero dad' to that list—especially since I have only one leg now."

“She needs to know sometime. Just make sure you don’t wait too long before you tell her. One day you’ll slip up and she’ll find out on her own. You don’t want that, do you?”

"…would that be a bad thing?"

“Think how upset she’ll be, Kotetsu.”

Kotetsu sighed, "She'd be happier if I were Sky High instead of Wild Tiger…she liked him the best before Barnaby…"

“Stop that, you know she likes a lot of the heroes. Who’s to say she doesn’t like Wild Tiger a little? And with Barnaby as a partner, she’s bound to like Wild Tiger at some point.”

"She's never liked me though…always saying how lame Wild Tiger is…" he slumped his shoulders, "…I feel like Wild Tiger just got a whole lot 'lamer'."

“Don’t be so discouraged. The more she sees you with Barnaby, the more she might come to like you.”

"Assuming I can still work with Barnaby… First I have to learn to walk again, then learn how to be a hero again… running, jumping, fighting…that's all more advanced than walking."

“You can do it. Barnaby will be there to help you a lot. I think he’s a good man to be around with this type of thing. He’ll be a big help to you, I’m sure of it.”

Kotetsu's cheeks flushed, "Mama…I'm sorry I wasn't careful. You must have been so worried…"

“You’re fine, Kotetsu. You’re stable now, and you’re safe. I was worried about you though. You were out for a long time. You shouldn’t scare your mother like that.”

"Sorry, sorry. I'll make it up to you, Mama."

“That’s not necessary. Just get plenty of rest. You should be going to bed soon anyways. I don’t know how long you’ve been awake, but you should get to sleep anyways. Your body still needs to recover, no doubt.”

"I just woke up! At least let me ask for food…"

“Then get food and sleep. I don’t want you passing out again.”

"Alright. I love you." Kotetsu said, hanging up and thanking the nurse for use of the phone.

Barnaby took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. “Nice conversation?”

"Yes…and no." He sighed and leaned back, looking up at Barnaby, "Can we go back to the room and talk about something? After we ask for some dinner, that is."

“Yeah, sure.” Barnaby smiled at the nurse, thanking her before wheeling Kotetsu back to his room. The brunet was moved back into his bed, the chair discarded for the moment.

"Bunny…what happened to me? At least, what do you know? When I got injured, that is. Kaede said some things and I…want to make sure they aren't true…"

“From what I know, I sent you to go talk to Maverick about the tattoo. Next thing I knew, you had called me, leaving me a message saying you knew who the man with the tattoo was. You were about to say, but the message got cut off, which I’m assuming is when your phone got smashed. I went out to find you, and Maverick was crouched next to you when I found you. You were unconscious, and your leg was still under the machine. Maverick said you had saved him, but in the process your leg was damaged. That’s what I know.”

"Kaede said that the old man had saved me… Do you still have that message I sent you? Maybe hearing it will trigger my memory."

“Yeah, hang on.” Barnaby pulled out his phone and searched for the voice message, then played it out loud on speakerphone so they both could hear it.

 _"Bunny! I need to talk to you! I know—I know who the man with the tattoo is! It's—shit!"_ Kotetsu's recorded voice was out of breath and heavy—desperate.

Kotetsu frowned as he listened, a throbbing starting back up in his head.

The blond watched in silence, playing back the message for Kotetsu again. “Is… it helping any?” he asked quietly.

"Only if we want me to get a headache…" he groaned, cradling his head, "It's throbbing the more I try to remember anything…"

“Don’t push yourself. If you can’t remember for now, that’s fine.” He put a hand on Kotetsu’s shoulder.

Kotetsu sighed and leaned into the gentle touch, closing his eyes, "Kaede also said she saw a tattoo on his hand…"

“A tattoo… the snake one? The one from the fire?” Barnaby shook slightly, having an idea of who the mystery man was, but he didn’t want to admit it.

"She said it was a circle." He shrugged, I said I'd send word to you for her because you are looking for a guy with a tattoo on his hand. Not sure if it's the same."

“The snake was in a circle, so it could be the same mark… but, if it is the same mark, why would Maverick have it? I don’t understand. I thought he was a good guy…” The blond looked a little distressed, his eyes widened with confusion and slight fear.

"I don't—I don't know…" Kotetsu's head was getting worse.

“I don’t know either. I’m so confused.” Barnaby looked at Kotetsu, noticing the way he was in pain from trying to think too hard… Or was he really thinking too hard? What if…

“Kotetsu… I know this is something hard to ask you to do, but can you remember what Maverick was doing before you passed out? What he might have been saying or what his actions were?”

"I don't…" Kotetsu squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to think back, going into that forbidden void and catching…a glimpse of—something… But what? It was just a blur.

It seemed to Barnaby as if forever had passed before Kotetsu finally spoke again, panting heavily and gasping for breath as if he'd been about to drown. His face was pale and he looked ready to pass out.

"Touched…my eyes…"

“Kotetsu, hey calm down! It’s alright, breathe.” Barnaby held both of Kotetsu’s shoulders to keep him from falling back. “He touched your eyes… Your eyes weren’t damaged at all, so he had no reason to touch them.”

"That's…all I could get…it's like there is a black hole in my mind and if I get too close I'll be sucked in completely…"

“That’s weird… It’s like you have part of your memory erased or something.” The more he thought about it, the more it sounded like a real possibility. “It can’t be possible… Maverick doesn’t have any powers…”

"…I need to lie down…" Kotetsu groaned, lowering himself onto his pillow.

“You need a break from thinking so much. I’m sorry I made you do that… I just needed something more to work with. Sorry…” Barnaby sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at his feet.

Kotetsu slid his hand over, taking Bunny's and giving it a squeeze, "Did it help?"

“It did… Thanks a lot.” He forced a small smile, but when he turned to look at Kotetsu, the smile was genuine.

"Good…then it was worth it." Kotetsu closed his eyes to rest them, "…Bunny…do you think I should tell Kaede who I am?"

“Do you think it’s a good time to tell her? If you think it is… before something bad happens, then you should tell her.” Barnaby shrugged lightly.

He shook his head, "Mom and Muramasa says I should, though…"

“She’s your daughter, and you care about her more than any other person. It’s your job to keep her safe, but you should be able to protect her just as much once she knows.”

Kotetsu sighed. Tomoe would have known exactly when to tell her… But she wasn't with him anymore. He was alone on this decision…

“If it helps any, I think you should wait a little longer. To know that her father is a crippled hero now might cause her trouble at school. But after this whole ordeal? That crippled hero that she will know will be praised for helping solve a huge case.” Barnaby chuckled a little. “Not just by her school or the city, but by her and the rest of your family… and me.”

"Think that will make her say I'm cool?" Kotetsu asked.

“Absolutely.” He gave Kotetsu a confident nod.

Kotetsu smiled and slipped his arms around Barnaby's hips in a lazy hug, "Thanks, Bunny.

Barnaby flushed a little. “Y-your welcome…”

"Do you work tomorrow?"

“No, I got the day off. Got caught dozing at work, so Florence managed to get Lloyds to give me a day to recover.”

Kotetsu's hug tightened, "Then stay with me for the night?"

“I will… Kotetsu, how the hell do you still put up with me? I’m a mess most of the time, and I have the biggest crush on you in history. Doesn’t that drive you away from me at all?”

"I'm a bigger mess." Kotetsu muttered as he curled slightly, bringing his head onto Barnaby's lap.

"Funny…I can't remember things from the past few weeks, but it feels like we have a bigger connection now than we did at that dinner I can remember…"

“We’ve gotten closer for sure. A lot has happened too, so it’s been helping us to get closer.”

"Lap pillows are nice." Kotetsu yawned, "Haven't had one since Tomoe…Bunny."

The blond moved a hand to Kotetsu’s hair and stroked it some. “This is a bad time to ask…but what are your feeling towards me, now that’s it’s been a while since I last asked?” He flushed a little deeper.

"Bunny…" Kotetsu cracked open an eye and looked up at him, "Lap pillow status isn't given to just anyone."

“Lap pillow status?” Barnaby paused as his lips curled into a smile once more. “Well… I guess that’s starting somewhere.”

"Wake me when dinner gets here." Kotetsu yawned again, snuggling into Barnaby's lap.

“Sure.” Kotetsu’s hair was stroked more, slowly and gently as if it would hurt the man if the petting got too rough or fast. Barnaby felt himself get sleepy really quick, but with Kotetsu already sleeping in his lap, it was nearly impossible to move to a better sleeping position. Maybe after they ate something, Kotetsu would allow Barnaby to sleep next to him in the hospital bed. It was a risky move, but Barnaby felt like Kotetsu wouldn’t mind it, at least for that night.

 Fifteen minutes later an intern brought up a tray of food and paused, looking at the two, "Uh, is he still wanting to eat?"

Barnaby looked up, stifling a yawn. "Yeah. Kotetsu, food's here." He shook the man lightly.

Kotetsu moaned, shifting before pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes, "Food?"

The intern set the tray down on the table and wheeled it to Kotetsu before leaving.

"You wanted to eat, right?" The food was pulled closer to the two.

"Yeah. Apparently I haven't eaten in days." Kotetsu said, digging into the bland meal. "Odd, though, how my doctor hasn't come in to check on me yet now that I'm awake…"

“He probably went home for the night. It is close to 10, after all.” Barnaby picked off a little food for himself.

Kotetsu ate slowly, and not much, letting Barnaby have the rest as he lay back against his pillow again, this time, for the night.

Barnaby sighed as he relaxed next to Kotetsu, having moved to sit next to him while they ate. He ran his hand through Kotetsu’s hair again while thinking about his parents. He hoped they were safe, wherever they were, and that they were thinking of him.

* * *

To be continued…


	13. Chapter 13

Kaede hadn't been able to go to visit her father until the weekend, her homework load getting in the way, which had made her frustrated, and she had even tried yelling at her teachers for it, telling them she desperately needed to visit her father in the hospital, not sit at home doing math problems. But finally Friday's classes came to an end and she rushed home, grabbing her packed bag and stuffing her weekend homework into it before practically dragging her uncle and grandmother out to the train station.

From the station, they took a taxi to the hospital, and Kaede was bounding out into the building as soon as the taxi slowed enough for her to consider it a stop in her rush. After getting the room number, the girl rushed to it, throwing open the door, "Dad!"

Kotetsu sat on the edge of his bed, back to the door as a nurse was working to change his bandages. He twisted around to look, "Ohh Kaede!" he grinned, "Please wait over there a moment. It's a pretty gross looking sight right now."

The nurse looked up at Kaede with a smile. “It’ll be just a moment, dear. Your father has been more active than we anticipated, so his bandages have to be switched out.”

Kaede smiled back at the nurse. “Oh, that’s good he can still move around then. I was worried he was crippled for good or something.”

"Oh…" the nurse frowned slightly, "I meant in his strength training. He insists upon doing more than we have scheduled each session. He can't move around on his own easily."

Kotetsu shrugged, "I'm eager to get to the point when I can. It'll be nice to see how things will go when I get the new leg. I heard that it might be arriving today or tomorrow."

"Well, you can't try using it until this heals a little more, otherwise you'll be in too much pain trying to stand up. Top of the line Brooks Technology or not." She finished changing the bandages and put the old in a bag to take out with her, giving him a nod, "Alright, Mr. Kauragi, please don't work them loose again. I put on a cream to help with the itching you were complaining about. But you need to keep it protected as it heals. I'll leave you with your daughter, now."

She moved to the door, pausing to whisper to the girl, "He's been talking non-stop about how excited he is that you are visiting him any day now since he woke up."

Kotetsu grunted, using his arms and good leg to maneuver himself back onto the bed, pulling the blanket over his legs and relaxing against the inclined bed before opening his arms, "Do I get a hug this visit, Kaede?"

“Maybe. Do you deserve it?” Kaede put her hands on her hips, a smirk on her lips.

"Yes! Daddy's been good and listening to the doctors!"

“I guess you’ve been good then. Okay, you get your hug.” Kaede rushed over to him and hugged him tight.

"Yay." Kotetsu wrapped his arms around his daughter, holding her close and enjoying the affection. It was getting to be a rare thing. Being a young teenager, the girl had started becoming embarrassed of the father-daughter affection they had openly shared for years when she was younger.

“I was so worried about you,” the girl said after she had let go of her father. “You shouldn’t go getting in the middle of things that Barnaby can take care of!” Her hands were back on her hips.

"Hah, I know…I actually just happened to be there when those robot things attacked suddenly. I was running an errand for work when it happened, and I was hurt before the heroes and police had a chance to show up. I'm lucky it was just my leg I lost."

“Yes, you’re very lucky, but you should have jumped out of the way! Didn’t you hear the robots coming before they attacked you?”

"Of course I did. But I can only run so fast, and everyone else was, too. Pushing, shoving…when a mass of people get scared, they can be a big problem to those around them."

Kaede huffed and crossed her arms. “I still think you should have been able to escape quickly. Grandma said you were a good runner when you were younger.”

"Younger, yes, but now Daddy sits behind a desk most days!"

“Except when there’s danger, then you’re on the move all the time it seems!”

"Yes, but not running away from the danger."

“Dad, you can’t run towards to danger! You’re not a hero! This is how you end up hurting yourself.”

"I mostly deal with the damage done to the city…" It was partially truthful. He did spend a lot of his time in the office paying damage fines and writing up reports and apologies.

“So, what, you’re like an officer? Investigative reporter?”

"Uh, more like…insurance? Cost of repairs and who has to pay it, though a judge has the final say on who pays it."

“An insurance agent? Seems boring…” Kaede shrugged and relaxed her arms.

"It's…more exciting than you may think. Maybe one day I'll show you exactly what Daddy does. That's only part of my job." He pulled her in and kissed the top of her head. "Where's your grandma and uncle? I thought they were also visiting."

“They’re coming, they’re just slow.” Kaede turned to the door right as Anju and Muramasa came into the room.

Kotetsu smiled at the two older members of his family, "Just in time to not have to wait for the nurse to change my bandages."

“How many times has she had to change them?” Anju smiled as she moved closer, kissing Kotetsu’s forehead.

"Once or twice a day…sometimes three?" Kotetsu shrugged, wrapping his arms around his mother.

“Sounds like you move too much. You should let your leg heal some before you try to destroy it again.” She gave a light chuckle and hugged Kaede. “Kaede was out of the car faster than we could even say her name to stop her. She was really worried about you. All of us were.”

"I was at physical training. I can't help but move around a lot there. They are getting me ready for the prosthetic once I'm healed enough to try it on for the first time."

“Your leg won’t be ready for that prosthetic with as much as you’re moving. You need to rest your leg more.”

"I stop when my doctor says I've pushed the limit too much." Kotetsu promised.

“Your doctor will be saying that soon, I hope.”

"He does every day during training." Kotetsu said as his brother moved around to his left side, then grabbed the blanket and flipped it off the younger man's legs.

“They really did have to amputate it.” Muramasa took a deep breath. “I didn’t really believe it before, but now I know it was true.”

“If your doctor is telling you to stop every day, you don’t need to push so hard all the time.” Anju shook her head. “Anyways, I hope you’ve had some company before us other than the doctors. Otherwise, I’m sure it had to be lonely.”

"Antonio usually stops by and a few people from work have dropped by…some more than others. See? Get well soon cards and flowers." He pointed at the table next to his bed.

He then turned to his brother, "I wouldn't joke about losing part of my body, you know."

“At least we were informed on what happened. If you would have been awake when we were called, I’m not sure you would have told us how bad your leg was.” Muramasa huffed.

"I would have! It was a huge shock to wake up missing it. I dwelled on missing my leg for two days, complaining about it and everything…"

“And now you’re over it? I wouldn’t think such a thing would leave you at ease so quickly or easily.”

"No, but I'm motivated to get back up on my feet and start walking again." Kotetsu said simply, "I don't want to be stuck in that chair over there longer that necessary."

“And you won’t be in it for much longer.”

Everyone turned to see who had spoken at the door, and it was none other than Barnaby, a huge smile on his face as he entered the room. “Hello, Kaburagi family. It’s wonderful to meet all of you.”

"B-B-Barnaby!" Kaede gasped, struggling to hold in a squeal of joy.

“You must be Kaede. It’s a pleasure to meet you in a calm environment.” He gave a small chuckle.

"Ah~ Barnaby remembers me." The girl gushed, holding her blushing cheeks. "Why are you here? Do you take time out of your day to visit all the sick and injured? That's so noble!"

“When I can, yes. Your father happens to be one of my most recent visits since he is getting one of my family’s highest quality prosthetics. In fact…” Barnaby turned his attention to Kotetsu. “We have your prosthetic ready to be used. I arranged with the doctors to have you start getting used to it today.”

“Indeed,” came the voice of Albert Maverick as he entered the room. “Your son is in good hands with this boy’s knowledge of the prosthetic, Mrs. Kaburagi. Barnaby has been diligently working on getting it perfected for Kotetsu’s use.” He put a hand on Barnaby’s shoulder.

Kotetsu flushed lightly. "Thank you…though my leg has a bit more to heal before it's ready for that, according to the nurse who changed the wrappings earlier…"

"Dad! Be polite!" Kaede scolded. "It's _Barnaby_!"

“It’s alright, Kaede,” Barnaby said with a smile. “I’ve put up with your father since he woke up. I’m not offended in any way. As for what the nurse said, we talked with her as soon as we arrived, and she agreed to let us put the prosthetic on, then have you only stand up.”

"Since he woke up?" The girl whipped around to look at her father, "You have been seeing Barnaby all week and never told me?!"

Kotetsu held his hands up, "You had school work to do. I didn't want to distract you."

“A good reason not to tell you,” Barnaby agreed. “Besides, it was best that you focused on your school work and not that I was here. You had plenty things of your own to do.”

"But that reminds me!" Kotetsu leaned over, getting a picture out of his drawer and holding it out to his daughter. "Bu—arnaby got this for me to give to you! Cool, hu?"

The picture was an exclusive Photograph of Barnaby and Wild Tiger together, signed by both heroes.

“Wild Tiger didn’t want to be left out on the signing,” Barnaby remarked while Kaede took the picture.

“Oh wow! Barnaby’s signature! Thanks, Dad and Barnaby!” The girl beamed as she hugged the picture.

"And Wild Tiger's." Kotetsu pointed out.

“Yeah, I know,” the girl replied with a slight annoyed tone. “Thank you, Barnaby! I’m going to keep this for a long time.” She beamed up at the blond hero.

“Anything for a huge fan, Kaede.” He winked at her, then looked up at Anju. “Well, it is getting closer to dinner time. How about I treat all of you tonight? It won’t be a trouble at all.”

"Only if you will accept one of the cream puffs I made at home and brought with me for dessert." The woman smiled.

“They sound like they’d be good, from what I’ve heard of your cooking.” He bowed slightly, then looked back at Maverick. “We’ll order the food to go and bring it back here. To spare the public of Kotetsu’s current state.”

The man held up the box containing Kotetsu's leg, "We should present him with this first and make sure it fits."

“Valid point… But I want to make him wait. Let him get a little energy in his system before he tries to stand up with the leg on.” Barnaby flashed Kotetsu a smirk.

Kotetsu flashed him a pouting look in return.

"Dinner with Barnaby~" Kaede sighed dreamily.

“Well, since Kotetsu has been the one to not go anywhere and be stuck with hospital food, I say he picks what we have. What do you think, Kotetsu?”

"Make it something good!" Kaede hissed.

Kotetsu thought for a moment before making his request.

Maverick was the one to go grab the food, Barnaby staying behind with the Kaburagi family. He tried not to show too much that he and Kotetsu were closer than Kaede knew, still, he kept up the energy.

It wasn’t long before Maverick returned with their food, passing it out to everyone before he settled in himself to eat. Barnaby was midway through eating when he set his food to the side, requesting to speak with the older man. He didn’t wait for an answer before he stood and headed out of the room. He needed to talk about the tattoo, and about Kotetsu’s memory loss. Though he wasn’t entirely sure that Maverick was to blame, he was still curious.

Maverick gave a confused look, but complied, excusing them both from the room. "You seem to have something on your mind, my boy?"

“It’s about that tattoo…” He gave a rather dangerous look at Maverick, though tried not to hint anything.

"What about it?"

“I think I may know who has it. And I’m not so sure that I like it.”

"Oh? And who is that?"

“It’s someone close to my parents… I’m not 100% sure it’s him, so I won’t name him. But he has to know my parents inside out, and he’s got to know how the robotics labs work. I can think of a few people, but again, I’m not fully sure it’s the man I’m thinking.”

"Would they have this tattoo on their hand as you have been lead to believe?" the man asked, holding up a hand for emphasis.

“Yes…” He focused on Maverick’s hand for a little longer than he would have wanted. But there was nothing, not even a discoloration on either of his hands.

Maverick sighed, "Well, be careful. I…was trying to hold off telling you until I had a bit more information but… The symbol you suspect was an old one. A symbol very much like the well known Ying-yang. Ouroboros, or sometimes called 'Uroboros', is an ancient Greek word for 'tail devourer'. Its symbol is often a depiction of a snake or dragon eating its own tail and it's often seen as an emblem of wholeness, unity, or infinity. It has ties to ancient Greece, Egypt, and India as well as having some legends in other cultures and beliefs across the globe. Rebirth, remaking itself, improvements upon what is old. The man you think has this symbol on his hand must have it there for deep personal reasons. Religious, strong ties to myth or the old science of alchemy. Or…he could be part of an occult. If it is, I wanted to find out more to point you in the right direction. I had been explaining this to your partner when we were attacked."

“Ouroboros…” Barnaby swallowed and shook his head. “I don’t know it. I’ve never heard of it, and now I’m proven wrong of whom I thought was guilty. I’m sorry, forgive me Sir, but I had thought it was you. Now I know I was wrong.” He noticeably lost a little confidence in his posture.

Maverick placed his hands on Barnaby's shoulders, "I'm sure you had reasons to suspect. But trust me, I will do my part in bringing your parents home safe. If you need anything at all, please come to me. I'll make sure you have the resources you need."

“Thank you, Sir… I’m so sorry…” Barnaby felt tears form in his eyes as he knew he had made a mistake. Now he had no lead, and he was back to square one.

"Don't feel so discouraged. You now know what the symbol is."

“Ouroboros…” He grit his teeth together and wiped away the tears.

"Yes. It may not be much, but it is a lead to look into."

“I’ll look into it tomorrow.” Barnaby sighed and turned to go back into the room, finishing eating in silence.

* * *

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14

After dinner was finished and their mess cleaned up, Kotetsu was moved to the edge of his bed, the nurse present to supervise as the leg was brought out of the box.

Shining, the metal glistened in the bright Florissant lights, looking like something right out of a robotic apocalypse film. Every detail looked like it could be a real leg and foot if it wasn't metal. Normally just silver, the prosthetic had been given a custom paint job that nearly made it match Kotetsu's Wild Tiger suit. Its length was checked to make sure it had been made to be the right custom size for the crippled hero before it was slipped onto Kotetsu's leg and properly attached so it wouldn't fall off.

Barnaby smiled as he saw the leg being attached. “It looks great on you. Now to put it to the real test.” He moved in front of Kotetsu and held out his hands. “Okay, this may hurt because your leg isn’t quite healed all the way, but we’re going to get you to stand very slowly. You ready?”

"Ready? I have been waiting all week to stand on two feet." Kotetsu said, taking hold of Barnaby's forearms and letting him slowly pull him to his feet. And it was painful. Hissing through his teeth he endured it, finding his balance off and nearly falling into Barnaby.

"Careful, Kotetsu!" Anju gasped.

“Easy, put your weight on the other leg if you need to.” Barnaby chuckled and held onto Kotetsu tighter. “Other than the pain, how does it feel? Is it comfortable?”

"I can't tell." Kotetsu gasped, holding onto the blond for support, "Hold on, shifting…" he said, giving Barnaby warning as he leaned in briefly as he shifted his weight onto his good leg and straightened back up again.

“Better?” He smirked, though it was only poking fun at Kotetsu playfully.

"Y-yeah… Sorry, we can have my brother take over for you if you are uncomfortable."

“I’m fine. Just focus on standing. We wanted to try to get you to stand on your own a little I think.”

"It pinches a little…"

"Your leg is still swollen, Mr. Kaburagi, in time it will fit better without that pinching, tight feeling." The Nurse pointed out.

“Come on, you can do it. I’m going to let go in a little bit, and I’ll catch you if you start to fall.” Barnaby loosened his grip on Kotetsu.

Kotetsu wobbled like a baby animal using its legs for the first time, shifting around looking for his center of gravity. His hands slid down Barnaby's arms to his hands, holding them.

“Ready to stand on your own?”

"I'm not sure…" Kotetsu looked over at his mother.

Anju gave a supportive smile. “You can do it, Kotetsu.”

“I’ve got you,” Barnaby said also with a smile. “I won’t let you fall, I promise.”

Kotetsu took a deep breath and nodded, letting go of Barnaby's hands and holding his arms out for balance.

Barnaby’s hands were kept close in case Kotetsu began to fall, but he was doing quite well for only his first attempt at standing on his own. “Good, good. Go for a long as you can, and don’t think about it too hard.”

"Easy for you to say, two-legs." Kotetsu gasped, his knees wobbling before he lost balance and he grabbed for Barnaby's shoulders to catch himself, his prosthetic slipping out from under him, though it did stay attached.

Barnaby grunted a little as he caught Kotetsu, though he kept a smile. “Ah, you thought about it too hard. But that’s enough for today I think. You need more rest to let your leg heal.” He set Kotetsu down on the bed and detached the prosthetic. “Your leg may swell a little because of wearing the prosthetic, but it’ll go down in time. You need a bit longer to heal before you wear it again.”

Kotetsu nodded and rubbed the bandaged end to his leg, "The pain made it harder to stay up."

“I know, but you did stand on your own for a good while, considering it was your first time on a prosthetic. I’m proud of you.” Barnaby moved back and let Kotetsu’s family move closer.

"It looks cool, though. Like your leg is from Barnaby's hero suit!" Kaede grinned.

"Barnaby? But his is red and pink. This is more like Wild Tiger's suit!" Kotetsu replied.

“The suits are similar, yes, but I thought it’d be nice to make it Wild Tiger, since he’s your favorite hero, Kotetsu.” Barnaby shrugged with a smile. “I like them both.”

"Both…suits?" Kaede asked.

“Yes, both suits. They’re top of the line suits too. My parents actually helped to develop some of the technology for the suits.”

"Not that I'm complaining, or anything, but why are you helping Dad when Wild Tiger's his favorite? I mean, he even copy's Wild Tiger's lame beard."

"M-My beard isn't lame, Kaede!"

"Yes it is! What even is it? Two cats?"

“Fan of mine or not, I’m always happy to help other people when they are in need. It’s an old habit of mine, really.” Barnaby flushed a little with a chuckle.

"No, I mean, why isn't Wild Tiger here?"

“He has his own family to take care of. Plus his injuries are healing just like your father’s. I decided it was best to let him do his own thing.”

"So he _was_ injured. I told you, Dad!"

“Yes, he was injured. But he’s being well taken care of.”

"And some old guy saved him?"

"I was informed Tiger was the one who saved the old man, thus how he was hurt and not the other man."

"O-oh…" The girl's face flushed, "…Sorry I said he's the most lame hero ever…"

Barnaby smiled at the girl. "It's alright, most people don't think much of him anyways. They just have to learn like you."

"He still messes up a lot…"

"But he makes up for it with his personality, trust me."

"Doubt it…" she muttered.

"You'll see one day. He's not all about destruction and rushing into things."

 

* * *

 

Kotetsu sighed, sitting on his couch as the news was ignored on his TV in favor of the beer bottle cool upon his lips as he tipped it back and let the liquid wash over his tongue.  He'd been out of the hospital for a few weeks, though he still had to go back for physical training and help with learning to walk again. It was a slow process, and the hero was starting to get discouraged by the number of times he fell.

Barnaby had been helping like he promised, but no matter how hard he tried, Kotetsu always seemed to lose his balance and fall. It was a rough transition from real leg to prosthetic, but the blond hero was doing everything he could to help.

While Kotetsu lounged on his couch, drinking his beer, Barnaby was in the kitchen working on dinner for that night. “You did better today,” he said as he chopped up some carrots. “You didn’t lose your balance as much.”

Kotetsu grimaced, "No, I just took you, three nurses, and one other patient out with me."

“We didn’t know you were going to fall that hard. It’s hardly your fault, Kotetsu.” Barnaby chuckled, remembering the fiasco that had happened earlier in the day.

"I wasn't even using my power and the support railing broke…"

"I guess they need to look into getting better railings then. Having patients falling because of railings won't be good for the hospital."

"Cute." Kotetsu sighed, setting his bottle down on the side table.

Barnaby washed and dried his hands before moving over to Kotetsu. "Hey come on now. You're still learning. You're gonna fall a few more times before you get it right."

"I'm a grown man, I shouldn't be looking like a toddler every time I stand up…" He looked at the shinny leg he still wore.

"Again, you're still learning. It's going to take a while to relearn how to walk." Barnaby put a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder.

"Doesn't mean I feel great about being useless like this…"

"You're not useless, Kotetsu. You've been helping me a lot with trying to find who kidnapped my parents. I probably wouldn't be as far as I am now if you weren't helping me." He smiled and sat next to Kotetsu.

"Feel useless. I can't go out and help you as your partner when we get a Hero TV call. I'm stuck sitting there watching you on a screen."

“You’ll be back out there with in no time. It’s just going to take a little bit longer. Trust me, you’re not useless.”

Kotetsu gave a pouting look.

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this. You were excited to get your leg when you were in the hospital, now it’s like you don’t want it at all. What’s bothering you, other than feeling that you’re useless?”

"…I thought it'd be easier than this…that I'd be closer to walking by now…"

“The only way you’ll get closer to walking is if you keep practicing. Come on.” Barnaby stood up and took away Kotetsu’s bottle, sitting it on the nearby coffee table. He pulled the older man up onto his feet. “Let’s get some practice in tonight, okay?”

Kotetsu blinked, his cheeks flushing slightly, "O-okay…"

Barnaby’s hands held tight to Kotetsu’s as he pulled the Japanese man up. “Just across the room for now. I’ll hold on to you the first time across, then you have to make it back here on your own.” He started to move his feet backwards slowly.

Kotetsu sighed, shifting his prosthetic leg up and forward, the mechanical leg reacting to the movements in his muscles to imitate a real leg. But the biggest issue was that Kotetsu couldn't feel what it was doing, and as a result he'd step down wrong and throw himself off balance. To try and prevent it, Kotetsu looked down, watching where he was placing the fake foot.

“Good, slowly. Don’t go faster than you think you can go.” Barnaby smiled, happy to see that Kotetsu was willing to practice at least a little.

Kotetsu wobbled a few times as they made their way away from the couch.

Soon they were at the other side of the room, and Barnaby turned Kotetsu around before having him lean against the wall. “Okay, time to do this yourself. I want you to come back over to the couch. Take as long as you need, and if you start to fall, I’ll catch you.” He moved back over to the couch, the motioned for Kotetsu to move again.

Kotetsu started out, arms out for balance as he shook unsteadily each time all his weight was on his prosthetic.  It was painfully slow, but he was managing it. That was until he was almost close enough to touch Barnaby when his foot suddenly slipped out from under him and he pitched forward into Barnaby, making them both fall onto the couch, Kotetsu's lips brushing against the blond's briefly as they landed.

Barnaby’s face was bright red as soon as they had settled. He couldn’t utter a single word, though he tried to say something. All he could do was stare with wide eyes into Kotetsu’s that were equally as wide.

"I---s-sorry, Bunny…" Kotetsu muttered, cheeks heated as he hovered atop Barnaby, lips still close enough to taste.

Slowly, Barnaby shook his head. “Don’t worry it’s…f-fine…” He swallowed and stopped himself from closing the distance between them, though it was painful to do so.

"I didn't mean to…to…" Kotetsu didn't know which one off them was closing the distance, but he felt his lips brush against Barnaby's lightly once more.

Barnaby closed his eyes, taking it upon himself to move closer and indulge in Kotetsu’s taste, the softness of his lips against his own; the pure, raw bliss that it was as they kissed. It was exhilarating, and it made Barnaby’s heart pound heavily in his chest.

Kotetsu moaned, shifting atop Barnaby, sliding his hands along the blond's sides. What was he doing? He wasn't ready to move on…was he?

Such an action caused Barnaby to gasp, and his eyes shot open as he realized what was happening. He was unsure, but he knew how he felt, and somehow, this felt right. He gazed up at Kotetsu with anxious, green eyes, bringing a hand up to the older man’s face.

However, Barnaby's gasp and action of his eyes snapping open spooked Kotetsu who panicked and pushed himself up off  the younger man, red in the face and feeling like he had just went too far. "S-Sorry."

“Wait, don’t be sorry… and be careful! You don’t need to fall!” He reached out for Kotetsu’s hands and gripped the tightly. “I… I was enjoying that, actually… I rather liked it.”

"You—seemed startled… I shouldn't have…"

“Kotetsu…” Barnaby pulled the man closer once more and didn’t hesitate to kiss him again.

Kotetsu's eyes widened a moment before fluttering closed, the man losing himself in Barnaby's supple lips.

The blond’s arms wrapped around Kotetsu, pulling him back onto the couch gently while kissing him deeper. Barnaby’s tongue ran lightly over Kotetsu’s lips in want. Tiger complied, parting his lips slightly.

A slight moan came from Barnaby as he slid his tongue into Kotetsu’s mouth. His grip on the older man tightened, not wanting to ever let go or ever let the moment end. He wanted Kotetsu, not just in an intimate, loving way, but now a new want arose in him, one that was animalistic almost and that nearly drove him crazy.

"Bu-nny…" Kotetsu moaned out, his hands gripping the blond's black shirt.

Barnaby took the opportunity of Kotetsu’s moan to pull back and remove Kotetsu’s prosthetic. He doubted they’d be doing any more practice for a while.

Without it, Kotetsu held onto Barnaby a little tighter, "What are we doing, Bunny?" he whispered.

There was hesitation from the blond once he set the leg to the side. “I…have no clue…” He swallowed before looking Kotetsu in the eye.

Kotetsu reached up, running his fingers through Barnaby's curls.

“Kotetsu… I think we should maybe move… in case anyone decides to stop by unexpectedly.” He leaned into the hand that was playing with his curls.

"Like who?" Kotetsu muttered, tilting his head back to look up into green eyes.

“I don’t know… Your bother?” He shrugged, getting a bit flustered and worried he was messing things up.

"He went home three days ago, Bunny."

“I know. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He shook his head and sat back down, pulling Kotetsu with him.

The Japanese man sighed, taking Barnaby's hand, "We can stop."

Barnaby also sighed. He wanted to continue and ignore those silly thoughts he had in his head. He didn’t want to blow his maybe one chance at making Kotetsu like him more. “No we can… keep going here.”

"Are you sure? If you are uncomfortable then don't push yourself."

“I’m not uncomfortable. I’ll be fine; I’m just being stupid because my emotions are out of control right now.” He chuckled nervously and shrugged his shoulders. “I… actually have thought about this happening between us before…That’s not weird is it?” He moved closer to Kotetsu again.

"Me losing leg and falling into your arms and lips?" Kotetsu asked, confused.

“Ah, no… but our first kiss and… whatever happens after that.” Barnaby gently connected their lips once more.

Kotetsu flushed, "Oh… Well… how about the dinner you made?"

"Sometimes..." He sat back suddenly with wide eyes. "Oh I forgot I was making soup."

"Oh? Then go get us some bowls and we can see about dealing with what just happened between us afterwards."

“Okay.” He took a deep breath and stood up to fetch the bowls of soup. The bowls he returned with were filled with hot soup. “It’s still a little warm, but I hope you like it. It’s my mother’s recipe.”

"I'm sure I will…I did like the appetizer…" Kotetsu muttered.

Barnaby chose not to respond, and instead ate in silence. He regretted eating so fast, his tongue burned from trying to eat the hot soup before it was cooled.

As he ate, Kotetsu kept glancing over at Barnaby, blushing deeper each time. Just when did he start having feelings like this for his partner? He knew he'd gotten comfortable with him, but, was there more to it than that? Had something happened in the weeks he had no memory of between them that had made his heart flutter so at a mere glance from those emerald eyes? To make his hands ache to reach out and touch those golden curls? To want to press his lips to that soft pale skin over and over again…

The blond took his empty bowl back to the kitchen, letting his face heat up while it was out of sight of Kotetsu.  He was eager to get back to kissing and touching his partner, but because of Kotetsu's memory loss, he was afraid to do so, so quickly. He wanted to give Kotetsu more time, and yet his body screamed at him to assault him with kisses all over that perfect tan skin.

Kotetsu sighed, leaning back and looking up. Could he do this? He knew the blond had confessed feelings for him, but still…he was an old man who had already had his chance at love and it had ended tragically.  He'd thought things over, over and over, he knew that, yet here he was, a little too deep as he felt an old, familiar tug at his heart at the simplest of thoughts about Barnaby.

"Are you done?" Barnaby gestured, shaking slightly, at Kotetsu's now empty bowl. His face was noticeably red.

"Oh—yeah…" Kotetsu looked down at his hands and the silver ring upon his finger. "Sorry, it really was good, Bunny, I'm just distracted!" he tried laughing.

“Thinking about your wife, I’m guessing.” He gestured to Kotetsu’s ring with a smile.

"Tomoe…and you." Kotetsu admitted.

“Ah,” Barnaby said quietly, taking Kotetsu’s bowl. “Seems like you have a lot more to think about than I do.”

"Maybe… And I am missing a few weeks…I could be rethinking things I already had figured out for all I know… Had we…kissed before?"

“No. Tonight was our first time.” He took the bowl to the kitchen and set it in the sink.

"Oh…good…" Kotetsu would have felt bad if he'd forgotten something like a first kiss. "…Was that your first—ever?"

“Yeah, though it wasn’t how I imagined my first kiss would be exactly. Still liked it.” The blond returned to Kotetsu and sat next to him on the couch.

"You're such an innocent, Bunny." Kotetsu smiled, reaching over to pinch his cheek.

“I don’t think I’m that innocent. I am a hero, remember? I see all sorts of weird stuff for a living.”

"Never been kissed."

“By my parents, I have. And now by you.”

"Parent kisses and romantic kisses are far from being the same thing, Little Bunny."

“I know, but I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to experience both now.”

"Kotetsu bit down at his lip and glanced down at his hands, "…You really do like an old man like me, hu?"

“I do… Is that okay? I can understand if you don’t like me back the way I like you. I did bring it up on you all of a sudden.” Barnaby sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's not that at all. I'm just confused. I'm so much older, after all. But Bunny…" He cupped Barnaby's cheek, "You have managed to unlock a part of my heart I thought would never be opened again. You make it flutter like it used to when I was young and falling for Tomoe. I didn't think it'd ever beat for someone else ever again after how broken it was… The problem isn't my heart—it's my brain. I can't quite grasp why a young handsome man like you would want what I have to offer…but if this is what you want…I am willing to give it to you."

Barnaby’s eyes widened slightly as he listened to Kotetsu. “You… you’re sure… you want to do this?”

"It's too late for me." Kotetsu flushed, looking away, "I knew it the moment our lips met…Unless you push me away soon…I'm yours."

The blond couldn’t help but pull the older man into a kiss. It was a very confident yes he had gotten from Kotetsu, and he couldn’t have been happier in his whole life. Kotetsu was his finally his, after trying so hard – Kotetsu was his. It felt so good to know Kotetsu felt the same as he did.

Kotetsu's heart beat faster, his hands resting on the blond's hips. "So…I take this as you are choosing not to push this old broken man away?" he muttered against soft lips.

“There’s no way in hell I’d push you away,” Barnaby replied with a soft chuckle.

Kotetsu held a finger up to Barnaby's lips, "One warning…I don't fall in love often—at all. This is literally the second time…but I when I do, I fall hard and quick. Soon I'll be past the point of no return."

“That’s perfectly fine with me. I’ll be here for you no matter what, Kotetsu.” He gently kissed Kotetsu’s finger.

Kotetsu flushed and lowered his hand. "…You won't mind if I continue to wear my ring…right?"

“I won’t mind. I understand you want to keep the memory of your wife close, so I’ll respect that as your partner.”

"Thank you. I honestly wouldn't be okay with not wearing it…"

“You wouldn’t be the Kotetsu I know without it. I’m glad you want to wear it. It shows how committed you’ll be.”

Kotetsu leaned in, tilting his head to the side as he brought their lips together once more. Barnaby kissed back, bringing his hands to Kotetsu’s hips and tugging slightly towards himself. The older hero was pulled in closer until they touched at the hip, and Kotetsu lifted his legs, draping them over Barnaby's so that they could get even closer.

Soon the two were indulging in each other’s taste and touch, Barnaby panting between each kiss and starting to feel warmer than what was normal, so he thought. “Kotetsu…”

"Mmm?" Kotetsu responded, his eyes closed as he continued to kiss his partner, though his lips moved down to Barnaby's neck so that the blond could speak easier.

Barnaby gasped lightly and let his eyes slide closed. “I… Is it hot in here to you?” He gripped Kotetsu’s shirt tightly.

"Warm, yeah…normal…from what I remember…"

“Normal…” He swallowed and hooked his fingers in the belt loops of the older man’s pants, pulling him slightly upwards so his neck was available to the blond. Barnaby wasted no time biting and kissing away at the hero’s tanned skin.

"Mmm, Bunny…" Kotetsu tilted his head back to expose his neck.

“Kotetsu, I want to know what you like. I’ve never done anything like this before.” He licked Kotetsu’s neck, then moved his hand to untuck the green shirt that seemed to compliment the older hero’s looks and personality so well.

"What I…like? Bunny, I like _you_."

“The touching, kissing, biting, do you like all of that? I want to know what really makes you a tiger.” A small bite was delivered to Kotetsu’s collar bone.

"Ah-ohh!" Kotetsu moaned out, biting down on his lip a moment before he could respond, "T-Tomoe chose my Hero name—Antonio's too… And…" He flushed and pulled back slightly, glancing away, "To be honest I don't remember much about making out and…yeah. I do remember that Tomoe was very much the one in control when we got into it. She had been a strong woman who knew exactly what she wanted."

“I know what I want, and you know what you want. I want to know what you want from me, Tiger.” Barnaby bit in the same place, harder this time and sucking on it slightly.

Kotetsu moaned again, louder this time as he gripped Barnaby's shoulders and felt his slacks growing a little too tight for comfort.

Slowly, Barnaby removed Kotetsu’s vest and shirt, pushing them off as he connected their lips once more. He then pulled back just long enough to remove his own shirt, and just as quickly as he had finished, he was back to kissing Kotetsu fiercely.

Kotetsu slid his hands over Barnaby's exposed torso, his touch confident as he began to memorize every curve and toned muscle.

Barnaby did much of the same thing, finally getting to touch Kotetsu after so long of just watching. It felt so real that it almost had to be a dream. The experience was refreshing almost, and it put Barnaby at ease to know that he could do this with Kotetsu whenever he pleased now. It truly was something to cherish for a long time.

Kotetsu's lips found Barnaby's ear and drew it into his lips to suck lightly on.

The blond gasped, hands grabbing Kotetsu’s hips and pulling them as close as possible. “Kotetsu, I want you,” he whispered.

"You have me, Bunny. I told you, didn't I?" He whispered into his ear, "I'm yours."

“Take your pants off, then. I want to see all of you, and I’ll show myself to you as well.” The white belt that was around Barnaby’s hips was removed quickly, zipper and button undone on his pants, and boots kicked off the side of the couch.

Kotetsu blinked, feeling self-conscious of his leg. It was one thing for Barnaby to see him with pants on; the actual injury hidden under cloth, but for it to be exposed? It had healed enough for him to start using his prosthetic, but it still had a way to go, and it wasn't pretty.

He swallowed, "…But…my leg…"

"What about it? It's not hurting anything." The blond put a hand on Kotetsu's thigh. "I'm not driven away by it, if you're worried about that."

"No but…it…looks bad still… it hasn't faded into a scar yet and the stitches are still in…"

"We'll be gentile then. The stitches won't come out, I can tell you that." He smiled and ran his hand up to the button of Kotetsu's pants. "Come on, now. Let me know what you're like under your clothes."

"I…just… can you not stare at my leg at least? It's embarrassing…"

"I won't, I promise." He unbuttoned Kotetsu's pants.

Kotetsu placed his hand over Barnaby's, forcing him to pause. Looking into green eyes, Kotetsu's own held a look of vulnerability before he closed them and let go, nodding. "Okay."

Barnaby pulled down on the zipper, kissing Kotetsu gently. “I’ll be slow, only as fast as you want to go.”

"I am only really overly nervous about my leg being seen by you. You are the first to see it other than my doctor and the nurses…"

“It’s okay to be self-conscious about it. There are certainly things about myself that I’m the same way about.” He moved his lips to Kotetsu’s neck once more, gently biting the sensitive skin.

"Once it heals more, it should get easier but…Bunny, can I keep the special sock thing on it?"

“Of course. I won’t force you to have it exposed if you’re uncomfortable.”

"Thank you." Kotetsu leaned forward and hugged the blond. "The rest of me…you can see."

Barnaby kissed the top of Kotetsu’s head with a smile, then pulled him into a heated kiss. His hands grabbed the older hero’s hips gently. Kotetsu lifted his hips, allowing his pants to be pushed down off his hips, exposing the Topmag briefs he wore underneath.

The blond chuckled at the sight of Kotetsu’s briefs. “Still supporting your old company, I see.” He rolled his eyes and ran a hand over the front of Kotetsu’s crotch.

"They were my only sponsor for years before they were bought out by Apollon…" Kotetsu's member twitched at the touch, pressing briefly against Barnaby's hand and letting him know it was at attention. It had been so long since it had been touched by anyone but Kotetsu's own hand and it seemed to have a mind of its own; eager for more touches from Barnaby.

“They were a good sponsor. My parents helped them out before Apollon paid a higher price for them.” Barnaby drug his hand back up Kotetsu’s torso, tapping his chest lightly before removing the man’s briefs. He tried not to stare too much, but it was hard not too with Kotetsu so exposed in front of him.

Smooth tan skin, dark hair, almost golden eyes looking back up at Barnaby. Kotetsu was fully exposed except for the special sock he wore over his shorter leg that helped protect his skin from chafing when he wore his prosthetic. It was simple, and though made to be flesh toned, it was lighter than his skin.

Barnaby smiled and shook his head lightly, running a hand over the older man’s stomach. “You never cease to amaze me, Kotetsu. You’re amazing.”

"But I'm not doing anything right now?" Kotetsu looked confused.

“You’re being you, and that’s what I like.” The hand that was on Kotetsu’s stomach moved down and grasped his member, squeezing gently.

"Bunny…take yours off too. Make things fair." Kotetsu whined, tugging on Barnaby's slacks.

The blond complied, removing his pants and underwear in an almost teasing way. “Better?” he asked after he was fully naked, a slight blush on his face.

"Ah—y-yes…" Kotetsu stuttered, his eyes moving along Barnaby's sleek body.

“Good.” Barnaby crawled on top of Kotetsu, pushing down onto his back, and kissed his neck several times, biting occasionally. “I want to make you feel amazing.”

Kotetsu's hands moved up, caressing down pale sides and hips, around to Barnaby's butt. "Only if you also feel amazing."

“I’m sure I will. I already do, actually, thanks to you.” Slowly, Barnaby’s hand moved back down to Kotetsu’s member and stroked the side of it lightly.

"N-never been kissed…so…is this also your first?" Kotetsu moaned slightly.

“It is… honestly I don’t know much of what I’m doing, just what I think would feel good. Am I doing a good job?”

"This is my first time with a man." Kotetsu admitted, "But I have…touched myself, so I imagine…" He reached down, gripping Barnaby as if he would himself and starting to slowly stroke him.

Barnaby paused and shivered a little. “Oh my god… That feels so good, Kotetsu.” He let out a small moan with another shiver.

Kotetsu pulled the younger man closer, continuing to stroke and touch him as he did so. "Always feels better when it's someone else…" he whispered.

“K-Kotetsu…” The blond closed his eyes and felt his hips begin to move slightly.

Tiger purred, and though it was difficult, he rolled them over and then moved down Barnaby's body, saying nothing before he slipped his wet lips over the head of Barnaby's member, swirling his tongue around it in a way he remembered his wife had done for him a few times.

Barnaby gasped and moaned a little louder than he should have when he felt Kotetsu take his member into his mouth. It was warm and stimulating. Barnaby couldn’t imagine a time when he felt better than he did at that moment.

Kotetsu took him in a little more, then pulled back, then more again, each time he took him deeper, tongue stroking the underside of the stiff shaft, and his fingers playing gently with his balls underneath. Intently, he listened for clues and queues from his partner, trying to find out what he liked best.

The blond twitched and squirmed about, desperate to find something that would really set him off. True, he did feel good already, but he wanted more, needed more, craved more so badly that his whole body shook.

"You're trembling." Kotetsu said, coming up and looking at Barnaby.

“Feels…good,” he panted out. “I want… more.”

"What felt best?"

“I don’t know… everything?”

"Hand…mouth…tongue…" Kotetsu asked slowly, giving a small sample of each as he spoke.

“A-ah! Tongue!” Barnaby’s eyes widened when Kotetsu’s tongue touched his member again.

Kotetsu obliged, running his tongue along Barnaby's length.

Barnaby arched his back with a loud moan, needing to feel nothing but his partner licking him and giving him the best damn blowjob he had ever had, granted it was the only one he had had at that point.

Alternating between licking and taking Barnaby into his mouth, the older hero sped up his attentions, drawing Barnaby closer and closer to his limit. His hand reaching up to press and slide down along his stretched torso, feeling muscles flex beneath his fingers.

“Ah! Kotetsu, I…” Barnaby grunted and gripped the couch hard before crying out with his climax. His hips bucked slightly, body trembling with raw pleasure.

Kotetsu's eyes widened as he was surprised by the wetness that suddenly hit his face, sliding slowly down his cheek and lips as he'd been just switching his action again when it hit. But more than that, he realized that even after all that, the young hero was standing proud, ready for more.

"Ah—to be young…"

“S-sorry…” The blond flushed darkly and looked away. “I… I didn’t mean to.”

"And I haven't bathed yet today—it's fine. Bunny's juice isn't going to harm me."

“Oh please don’t call it that…” Barnaby shuddered, face reddening more.

"No? I thought 'Bunny juice' would be a cuter alternative to sounding dirty…"

“Anything but ‘Bunny juice’.”

"…I'm drawing a blank…"

“Do we need to give it a name?” He groaned as he sat up, wiping a bit of his seed off of Kotetsu’s face.

"Obviously as it just came up needing one."

“It doesn’t need a name.”

Kotetsu didn't know how to respond, so he sighed, "Still…looks like Junior-Junior isn't ready to stop."

Ignoring yet another nickname, Barnaby looked down at his attentive cock, letting a small moan escape his mouth. "We should probably do something about that..."

"Well, what do you want to try?" Kotetsu asked.

Barnaby’s eyes widened and he stood up, picking up Kotetsu gently. “Come on, we’re going to the bed.” He carried the man up to his bedroom and set him on the bed. “I want to try going a little further than foreplay.”

"Ah, now I'm going to be the nervous one!" Kotetsu blushed as he was set down, his arms still around Barnaby's shoulders. He wondered how it was going to work without both legs. Maybe cowgirl?

"Why are you nervous? Afraid I might not fit inside you?" Barnaby smirked as he pushed Kotetsu onto his back.

Kotetsu's eyes widened, "Now I'm even more nervous! B-Bunny inside me…" he hid his face in his hands, peering out between his fingers at the blond.

"You didn't expect me to just lay here while you do all the work, did you? There's no way I'd let you top me, especially since you wouldn't really be able to support yourself." Barnaby chuckled and grabbed Kotetsu's hands, holding them above his head.

"But…cowgirl, Bunny… I figured since I have had sex before—but I have never had anything in me! –Well, not exactly true, Tomoe did do _that_ a few times…felt good…but I'm not as young as I had been! Ah…b-be gentle with this old man, Bunny-chan."

"Bunny- _chan_? That's a new one..." The blond attacked Kotetsu's neck with multiple kisses and bites, rubbing his hips against the older hero's at the same time.

Kotetsu's comment was cut off by a long moan, his hands moving to Barnaby's hips again.

Barnaby ran his hands down Kotetsu's sides slowly. His teeth dragged across the tan skin just as slowly, and he didn't stop until he was at Kotetsu's collar bone.

"Wait." Kotetsu said as he thought of something, "Butts aren't like woman parts, and I don't have anything for making it ready to take you in me…"

"I'll make do without. I've done my research, after all." Sitting up, Barnaby moved down Kotetsu's body. He grabbed the older man's legs and spread them slowly.

"H-how? It seems really important to have something!"

“I have something, so quit worrying and relax.” He stuck his fingers in his mouth and sucked on them slightly. The whole time he kept his eyes glued on Kotetsu.

"You have something? What?" His eyes moved to watching Barnaby sucking on his own fingers, "Spit alone isn't going to be enough when it comes to you entering me. I could tell by sucking on you—you're thick."

Barnaby brought his fingers out of his mouth and licked them. “If you want something to help, you should go get it now before I start to stretch you.”

"Uh…" Kotetsu racked his mind quickly, "I have lotion in the bathroom next to the sink." He suggested.

“If you think that’ll help,” he nodded. “Go get it quickly.”

"…You have to do it. Remember?" He wiggled his stump of a leg, "My leg is down on the couch with our clothes, and even if I did have it with me I don't have the whole walking thing down yet."

“…Oh yeah… sorry. I’ll… be right back.” He shook his head as he climbed off the bed and went to the bathroom to retrieve the bottle of lotion Kotetsu had mentioned. The whole bottle didn’t really need to be brought, but he didn’t know how much would be needed, so the whole bottle was brought back with him anyways.

“Okay, sorry, I’m a little inexperienced… but I don’t know how much I need. Do you maybe have an idea?” Barnaby sat on the bed again, opening the bottle.

Kotetsu shook his head and pushed himself up, "Never been with another man before, remember?"

“Well, I thought you might have a better idea since you had a wife.” Barnaby shrugged as he put some lotion in his hand. “I guess we’ll both learn as we go.” He set the bottle to the side and covered his other hand with the lotion.

"You are the one who researched this…" Kotetsu said, taking the bottle and squirting a little onto his fingers before reaching down to rub it onto his entrance, his face bright red as he did so.

“You don’t get told how much lubricant or lotion to use when preparing someone’s ass. You figure that out on your own because everyone is different.” The younger man began stroking himself with one hand while moving the other to Kotetsu’s entrance, helping him loosen up.

Kotetsu gasped the moment Barnaby's fingers touched, pressing inside just a little, the lotion doing well to slicken the area, though the stretch took some getting used to. He abandoned his own hole and used one elbow to keep himself propped up as he reached out with his other hand to help stroke Barnaby, keeping him ready for when Kotetsu was also ready.

Barnaby inserted one finger, thrusting lightly with it to keep Kotetsu on edge. A little longer and he added a second finger, then a third, moving all three in a way that made the older man squirm about and moan like crazy. The pale fingers curled up to make Kotetsu squirm even more.

"Ahh-ha--!" Kotetsu's gasps and moans filled the room, and his body shifted and squirmed, half wanting to escape, and half wanting more. Each time a finger was added it took a moment, but once he was used to it, those fingers felt so good. "Oh god, Bunny…" He gripped the blankets under him and rolled over onto his side, pushing his rear out towards Barnaby's fingers to take them in deeper. Maybe bottoming wouldn't be as scary as he thought it'd be…

From Barnaby’s angle, it looked very erotic, and it was driving the blond crazy. He felt his member twitch several times in need. It was all he could to hold himself back from removing his fingers that instant and bury himself inside his partner. Not like he wouldn’t do that anyway, but he managed to hold himself back for a little longer before the need was too strong to ignore. He removed his fingers without warning and turned Kotetsu onto his stomach, grabbing his hips and bringing them up, then positioned himself correctly and pushed his way into Kotetsu slowly.

It was a bit dryer than they would have liked, but Kotetsu had been stretched enough where it wasn't too painful and he lay propped up and full of his partner for a moment, his gasped breathing muffled into the blanket.

"Bunny—B-Bunny…"

Barnaby grunted slightly upon his entry, but he love how it felt to be inside of Kotetsu. It was almost scary that his childhood hero was now below and completely given to him. When he was all the way in, Barnaby paused to let the both of them adjust, kissing the back of Kotetsu’s neck lightly.

Kotetsu turned his head, looking back out the corner of his eye at Barnaby, lips parted as he breathed heavily past them. He didn't speak, he didn't need to. The way his honey-brown eyes connected to emerald was enough.

Once Barnaby saw the look in Kotetsu’s eyes, there was no way he would have been able to stop. He pulled back his hips, then slowly brought them back to Kotetsu, starting a slow, comfortable rhythm.

Kotetsus eyes closed, his gasps of pleasure matching the rhythm of Barnaby's thrusts. It was teasing him, bringing him close to the edge then pulling back. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so good, and it wasn't very long before he wanted more.

"F-Faster, Bunny!" he moaned.

The blond’s hips moved quicker upon Kotetsu’s request. He was letting out many of his own moans as he worked to make his partner feel amazing.

"Bunny! Oh my—Bunny!" Kotetsu's moans and cries grew louder, the bed swaying slightly from their movements.  Tears bit at the corners of his eyes as his body took all of his partner in over and over.

Sex was a special kind of torture. Pleasure so good he wanted it to stop even as he begged for more, meeting Barnaby's thrusts equally with his body. Had Barnaby stopped moving, he would have continued, insisting upon more until he finally reached bliss. His toes curled and he let out another long moan without shame.

How had he lived so long without this? He remembered now how much he had loved making love with Tomoe—how good it felt to join together as one. And though being with Barnaby this way was far different than Tomoe, it was the same. The same sense of closeness to someone he cared deeply for—loved. The same desire to hold onto and protect—the very _want_ of joining together over and over again, never wanting the moment to end as they explored each other's bodies.

Kotetsu glanced back at Barnaby again, watching curls bounce around his face as he took pleasure from Kotetsu's body. Through his gasping moans, Kotetesu smiled.

Barnaby panted heavily as he thrust deep into his partner. It was an experience the blond never wanted to end because of how good it felt, how right it was to be this close to Kotetsu. There was nothing in the entire world that could make him feel as good as this, and it was only getting better the more they indulged in each other.

Kotetsu’s smile sparked a new feeling in Barnaby. Already he was feeling pleasure and happiness, pure bliss, but seeing the smile, he felt love. This man that was under him, he could spend the rest of his life with him and never grow tired.

Kotetsu reached back, spreading his cheeks more. "B-nny ohh—feels good-!" he ignored the feeling of drool escaping the corner of his lips as Barnaby's hips smacked against his bent rear, driving himself as deeply as he could and brushing up against a secret sweet spot deep within. His stiff but ignored member began to twitch, a heat churning inside, "Close..!"

“Do it,” Barnaby commanded between breaths. “Come for me, Kotetsu.” He reached deeper inside of Kotetsu to hit his sweet spot and drive him over the edge. He was so close to the end himself, he wanted to get Kotetsu to come first. It would have been embarrassing beyond belief if he came before Kotetsu.

"Don't—want it to stop--!" Kotetsu shook his head, growing desperate.

Leaning forward, Barnaby reached around and grabbed Kotetsu’s cock, moving his hand quickly to get Kotetsu closer to his limit. “Kotetsu,” he moaned loudly. He felt his stomach flip a little, and he grit his teeth together.

Kotetsu's entire body trembled as Barnaby touched him, his eyes wide as he was quickly pushed over the edge and he cried out, a mess hitting the blankets under them as his insides pulsed and squeezed around Barnaby.

Barnaby wasn’t far behind with his own climax, groaning loudly as his torso tightened up and he spilled his seed into Kotetsu. He panted heavily, leaning over Kotetsu with his hands on either side of the Japanese man’s head.

Together, they collapsed into a panting heap upon the soiled bedding. "My Bunny…" Kotetsu sighed after a moment.

The blond brought his hand to Kotetsu’s face and brushed away his hair. “Kotetsu… I love you.”

Kotetsu smiled and coaxed Barnaby to pull out of him with a groan so he could roll over to face Barnaby, reaching out to brush his fingers over his flushed cheek before leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.

Barnaby let the kiss linger a little longer before he pulled back with a smile. “Well, I don’t know about you, but that was amazing.”

"Let's do it again sometime." Kotetsu agreed, pulling the blond back in close to his chest.

“Definitely.” Barnaby hugged Kotetsu tight, letting out a content sigh. Yes, he really could spend the rest of his life with this man.

* * *

To be continued…


	15. Chapter 15

Kotetsu groaned in his sleep as the morning light coaxed him out of his dreams and he became aware of his back being a little more than sore from his shoulders all the way down to his backside. Moaning, he rolled over onto his back and pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes and blinking a few times before glancing around his bedroom.

He had actually slept up here? That was rare. He didn't like the cold, empty bed…but it wasn't empty. A soft sigh caught his attention and looking over Kotetsu found a mess of blond curls. It was also then that Kotetsu became aware of a few other things. A complete lack of clothing, and a mess of dried semen on his face, between his butt cheeks, and on the blanket. A quick peek under the sheets at Barnaby's naked form gave the final confirmation; they had indeed slept together. It hadn't been a dream.

"Oh!" Kotetsu gasped, dropping the sheet back down atop his now lover. "Oh no…I fell in love without asking Kaede if it's okay for Daddy to start dating! And to go this far already--!"

“Mmph, you’re being loud,” Barnaby grumbled, peeking through his curls up at Kotetsu.

Kotetsu jumped slightly, groaning as the action brought more awareness to his sore entrance. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, pretty Bunny." He muttered, petting his hair.

The blond made a soft noise of content and let his eyes slid closed again. He leaned into the touch.

Kotetsu sighed and brought his knee up to his chest, hugging it as he looked out the window, hoping his daughter wouldn't be upset by the idea of her father dating…he'd have to call her…today.

Barnaby groaned and sat up, leaning against Kotetsu groggily. “What time is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Kotetsu shrugged, "Not sure, my bottom hurts, though." He smirked, looking back at the blond.

“Guess I did a good job then.” He smiled, kissing Kotetsu’s cheek.

Kotetsu leaned into Barnaby, pulling them closer together and kissing along Barnaby's muscular shoulder, "Bunny…I haven't…at least, I don't think I have talked to Kaede about dating again yet… I'll have to call her this afternoon when school gets out, so…we may have to slow down a bit…"

“Okay…Do you think she’ll be okay with this? With us?” He put an arm around Kotetsu and hugged him close.

"I don't know yet." Kotetsu shook his head, "This is new to me, so it'll be new to her. It may take her time to think it over. I love you, but I need her to be okay with the idea of me dating again. I…I'm not going to tell her it's you right away. It may be easier on her if I just say I met someone I'm interested in."

“That sounds like a good idea for now.” He kissed the top of Kotetsu’s head and sighed.

 

* * *

 

Later that day, during Kotetsu's break from therapy, the man sipped his water as he pulled out his phone, checking the time before leaning back against the bench he was sitting on and dialed his daughter's number, listening to it ring. The girl should have been out of school by now, so he hoped she didn't have her phone on silent anymore.

After a few rings, Kaede answered the phone, girls laughing in the background before she actually answered. “Hello?”

"Kaede~ It's Daddy!" Kotetsu joyfully greeted his beloved daughter.

“Oh, hi Dad! How are you?”

"Fine, fine! I'm just taking a break from learning to use my new leg properly." He laughed, "How was school?"

“It was good. I got another poetry assignment I may need help on again. I really suck at that stuff. I can’t ever get it right.”

"Ahh I can try to help but you know I'm not that good at it either…" He sighed, "Kaede…I wanted…to ask you something."

“What is it, Dad? Is it about your leg?” She had concern in her voice.

"Ah, no, no, nothing like that. My leg is healing fine. It still looks ugly and red, but Doctors say it's fine; nothing to worry about. I'm making progress with the prosthetic, too. I can make a handful of steps before falling over like a toddler." He laughed, shaking his head, "No, this is something…different."

He bit his lip as he gathered himself.

"Kaede…how would you feel if I started…if I met someone I'm interested in?"

“Like dating? Oh my god, Dad, finally! You’re so lonely all the time, even when you talk to me. Grandma can see it too.”

"R-really? You'd be fine with me dating again?" Kotetsu blinked in surprise.

“Of course! You need to be with someone again, Dad! You’re not like you were back when Mom was still around.”

"I'm surprised. I was worried you would be upset like kids on TV shows usually are when their single parent starts dating again. Ahh, I'm relieved. I wasn't ready to move on until I met this person! He's got something special, that's for sure, just like your Mom did. I still miss her but…" Kotetsu trailed off, blushing deeply and feeling like a love-sick school girl.

“Wait… He?”

"Ahh—" Kotetsu realized he'd let that detail slip a little sooner than he meant to. "…Yeah…he… Um…still okay, sweetie?"

“I didn’t think you to be that type, Dad… As long as you don’t forget Mom, I don’t care who it is, girl or guy. If you love them, stay with them.”

"I...have never really cared about gender when it came to romance, sweetie. Though this is the first time I have really fallen for another man like this. Before they had been tiny crushes that pass quickly, and that had been before your Mom and I met. But this could end up being as serious as your Mom and I had been, so I wanted to know you would be okay with it before I got in over my head with my feelings."

“Go for it Dad. I bet you dazzle that other man.” She giggled.

"How did I get such a wonderful and understanding daughter? You're the best, Kaede!" Kotetsu cooed.

"Just telling you what's best for you, Dad."

"You're so much like your mother." Kotetsu smiled.

"Sometimes I wish I could have known her longer... I've been missing her a lot recently, Dad."

"I know…I do too." Kotetsu sighed, "And now you are at the age where mother-daughter talks are important and I'm no good at that stuff… Tell you what, next time I come home for a visit, we can go up into the attic and look through some of Mommy's boxes together. Maybe you can feel closer to her that way. She had kept a lot of journals and things."

"I'd love that... Thanks Dad." The girl sniffed slightly.

"And…" Kotetsu paused, "I know there is a gift up there for you from her. She asked me to wait until you were older to give it to you and…I think the time is right for that. I'm not sure what all is in it, but I'll find it for you."

"Mom left something for me? Oh god, I don't know if I can handle it yet..."

"I'll give it to you because I think you are old enough…but you don't have to open it until you are ready to do so." Kotetsu promised.

“Okay… We also have to go see her next time you’re home.”

"Of course, don't we always?"

“We do, I just want to spend extra time seeing her this time.”

"We'll do that. We'll pack a lunch and go see your mom, catch her up on everything.

“Just the two of us going, okay? Not that I don’t want Grandma or Uncle Muramasa to go, I just want it to be you, me, and Mom.”

"Of course. Just us two. I'll see about coming home soon after I can walk well enough for the trip. I'm sure the boss will give me a few days out of the office. I can't go out to work, anyway, and I can do paperwork anywhere."

“You better not have anything come up. Mom and I won’t be too happy.”

"Hey, I promise! What are they going to do next time something bad happens? Send the tipsy one-legged guy with a hat to fix it all?"

“Dad, please.” Kaede laughed. “I’m almost home now, and I have homework to do, so I’ll talk to you later Dad, Love you!”

"Alright, I should work more with my leg before Antonio gets here to drive me home. I love you and good luck on that poetry assignment!"

“Be safe!” Kaede hung up quickly.

Kotetsu sighed, pocketing his phone and leaning back with a smile.

She was okay with him dating again.

He sighed and shook his head to break free of the daydream-like feeling he had, and he pushed himself up onto his feet, attracting the attention of the physical therapist that was assigned to him, and the woman approached, helping him over to the bars in case he needed to grab a hold of them to keep himself from falling.

After a little longer of Kotetsu working with his leg, Antonio came by to pick him up. They went to their normal bar for a couple of drinks and just to talk. It was their favorite pastime as friends, and they did it quite often outside of work.

Antonio took a swig of his drink and set the cup gently on the bar. “So how has therapy been going? You looked like you were doing pretty good today.”

"Really? I thought today was difficult…back has been sore from…sleeping on it wrong. I actually slept in my bed last night, not used to it. Though when they gave me that cane, it did help with balance a lot. They said I should get one to use outside of therapy."

“So you have to get a cane now? Or are you still on the fence about it?”

"Well…it does help. I can get a lot farther with it. And it's not like if I do get one, I have to use it the rest of my life. Eventually I'll get better at walking and I won't need it. But until then I'll gain a little more independence."

“It sounds like a good idea to get one then… Also, you never sleep in your own bed. What was the occasion?” Antonio raised an eye brow at Kotetsu.

"…I was stuck upstairs."

“Stuck upstairs? What, did you forget how to walk or something?” The man chuckled as he took another drink.

"Stairs are not nice to walk on right now! It can be scary when I fall over on flat ground, let alone an incline like that. I didn't want to risk it."

“I’m just teasing,” Antonio said with his hands raised. “But next time, don’t go upstairs. Why’d you go upstairs in the first place? Have a memory of Tomoe?”

"You could say that." Kotetsu sighed and sipped his drink, "…I've…been thinking about moving on."

“Oh? Have someone in mind already?”

Kotetsu flushed and only took another drink with a shrug.

“Looks like you’re already with someone. Out with it, who is it?”

"I never said that was accurate! Besides, I talked to Kaede today about if she was ok with me dating again…"

“Come on, I know you. You didn’t tell me right away when you and Tomoe started dating, so I know you’re already with someone. Now, who is it? I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

Kotetsu's face flushed deeper, "How do you know it's not just that I'm interested? You say that like you are sure we are together."

“I am sure. I saw the same reaction when asking about Tomoe all those years ago.”

"Well—I'll have you know I had wanted to get Kaede's okay first! She's my baby girl and I didn't want her upset at seeing Daddy with someone that wasn't her mommy!"

"And?"

"…She got really happy for me." Kotetsu flushed.

“So you asked her, now who is it, Kotetsu? I’m going to keep asking until you tell me.”

"It's not so easy to tell, Antonio!" Kotetsu finished off his drink and sighed, slumping forward on the bar and turning his glass in his hand upon the bar top, "…It's not a woman this time…"

Antonio nodded slowly. “Somehow, I knew that was the case with you. You didn’t seem the type to be completely straight.” He chuckled and finished his drink. “So is this man younger or older than you?”

Kotetsu seemed to sink more, "That’s what makes this harder…he's younger and really shouldn’t be interested in an old man like me…but I…I like him back and told him that if Kaede is ok with me moving on…I'll be his. He…doesn't know her answer yet…"

“He can’t be too much younger. And you should tell him her answer soon, especially if you want to stay with him. Wait too long and he might lose interest.”

"I only just asked Kaede today when she got out of school. I haven't had the chance to tell him yet. And he's young enough to have been a kid when you and I became heroes."

“Wow, that young? Well, I guess age doesn’t matter if you’re in love.” Antonio shrugged and smiled.

"It doesn't make me a greedy old man, then?"

“No, of course not, Kotetsu. Love is love, no matter the age.”

"Then have you ever thought about looking again?" Kotetsu asked as he waved the bartender over and indicated for a refill on their drinks.

“Nah, I have no interest in looking anymore. I had my time, and I let it slip by.”

"You said that at my wedding reception and you were still young.  What, did some girl rip up your note to her in sixth grade? I've never even seen you try to look around for romance or even a one night stand."

Antonio chuckled. “Someone took her from me, but I’m quite alright with that. She was better with him than with me, I could tell.”

"She must have been special. Ever think of looking her up? Even as just a friend?"

“She was a friend, a good friend. I’m just not… in touch with her anymore because of an illness.” Clearly Antonio was talking about Tomoe, but he knew how thick headed Kotetsu could be, so he tried to make it subtle.

"She move away for treatment or something?" Kotetsu asked, and then sighed, picking up his refilled glass and sipping it, draping his arm around his best friend's shoulders, "I know how rough it can get sometimes…"

“Believe me, I know too…” Antonio had his glass filled again

"Kaede…she told me when I asked her earlier if she'd mind me dating again, that I always seem really lonely, and that’s why she's happy I decided to move on…as long as I of course don't forget about her or Tomoe—which I never could, even if I wanted to—please forbid. But you know…you seem just as lonely as I have felt in these years since Tomoe's death…it's why we come here so much, right? Two single, lonely men drowning out our past…"

“Yeah… sure.” He downed most of his small glass, setting it to the side and looking at his best friend.

Kotetsu frowned, "Grumpy." He reached up, tugging on the man's cheeks to make him smile, obviously drunker than he thought, and to the point that he'd get a rush when he stood up.

“Kotetsu… I think it’s time you go home. You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t.” He pushed Kotetsu away and sat him up correctly.

"I'm fine, Antonio. Its going home that isn't fine. I can't exactly walk the blocks home sober, let alone drunk. Or did you forget I have a removable leg?" he took off his sleek leg and placed it on the bar next to their drinks. "Better off staying here."

“Well I can take you home… although I probably had a little too much to take you home and then drive myself home. I’m calling Barnaby. He’ll take you home.” Antonio pulled out his phone and dialed Barnaby’s number.

"You can't drive! You're drunk like me!"

“I’m not as drunk as you.” After a few rings, Barnaby picked up, and he agreed to come pick up Kotetsu. “He’s coming for you,” Antonio said, pocketing his phone. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

"You still shouldn't drive drunk. Get a cab or come to my place or something."

“I will be going home, thank you. I’ll walk.” He stood and pulled out cash for the bartender. “Take care, Kotetsu. Don’t get hurt.” He patted Kotetsu’s shoulder lightly, then left for his home.

"Ahh-wait! Ahh…leaving me here like this….I have to pee…" he slumped back against the bar and picked up his glass, looking at it before finishing it off.

A few minutes passed, and true to what Antonio had said, Barnaby came into the bar to pick up Kotetsu. He sat next to the older hero first, letting him know he had arrived. “How you manage to drink so much like this, I’ll never know.”

"Bunny!" Kotetsu smiled, happy to see his now official boyfriend, though he had yet to share the news with said lover, "I'm really not as bad as Antonio implied, I just don't think it's a good idea to try to walk, even with holding onto the wall or something. Removable leg isn't walking right yet. But Antonio was mean and left right away and I need to pee, can you help me to the men's room before we get to your car?" Kotetsu rambled as he grabbed his leg and slipped it back in place as he spotted Antonio's unfinished drink.

"Ah…he didn't finish…" He grabbed the drink. There wasn't much left so he tipped it back before standing up—

\--Which was his mistake. The alcohol hit his mind all at once and though he was holding onto the bar, he swayed greatly.

"Whoa—okay…maybeeee 'ntoni wath righ'… bu' still gotta pee…"

Barnaby’s eyes widened as he grabbed hold of Kotetsu, by the belt loops. “Easy, Kotetsu. We’ll get you to the bathroom and then go home.” He sighed as he pushed the drunk man towards the bathroom. “You’re a mess…”

"Didn'ink was…" Kotetsu muttered.

Barnaby got Kotetsu to the restroom and into a stall so he could lean against the stall wall for support while he relieved himself, then helped him to the sink to wash his hands.

They then, at least, made it back out of the men's room before Kotetsu's rickety balance sent him leaning heavily against the blond, clinging to the expensive white and red leather jacket the man wore, and his nose nestled up in his neck.

"Mmm…Bunny smells good…"

“Uh… Kotetsu we should get going… before anything happens.” He pushed Kotetsu back up onto his feet and towards the door. “Better things happen at my place instead of here in public.”

"I don' mind…Bunny's soft…"

“I do mind, and we are not doing this stuff here.” Barnaby huffed as he finally got Kotetsu out of the building and into his car, buckling the man in because he obviously wasn’t able to buckle himself in.

"I just wan'tobe close t'm' boiifriend." Kotetsu pouted.

“You can get as close to me as you want once we get back to my place, okay?” He gently touched Kotetsu’s cheek with a smile.

"….Kiss t'hold for now?" Kotetsu requested.

“Yes, you can get a kiss.” Barnaby leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Kotetsu’s lips. “Now hold off until we get home, okay?”

Kotetsu seemed satisfied by the kiss and he relaxed in his seat, allowing Barnaby to drive in peace.

It was a quiet but quick trip back to Barnaby's place. Though it was with some difficulty, Kotetsu was taken up to the blond's apartment and sat on the chair by the window. "I'll get you some water."

"…You needa couch." Barnaby sighed, reclining back in the chair, "Chair's too small for two."

"I have a bed that works just as well as a couch," the blond called from the kitchen.

"Y' have space f'a couch…"

"I never really have anyone over, so I don't need a couch." Barnaby came back with the glass of water and handed it to Kotetsu.

"You hava boyfriend." Kotetsu pointed out, taking the glass and giving it a sip.

"...I do now? I'm guessing Kaede gave you her answer then." The blond smiled and kissed Kotetsu's cheek.

"Ahhh, Kaede's amazing! She wasa really happy for her Daddy!"

"Was she? I'm glad she loves you as much as she does. She's a sweet girl." He chuckled and sat on the floor next to Kotetsu.

"She was okay with Bunny being a boy, too! But she dn' know Bunny is _Bunny_ yet."

"I'm okay with me being a boy too," he laughed. "Though really you're talking nonsense right now because you're drunk."

"Am not! She really as okay with it! But I gotta go home soon. Wife boxes."

"Wife boxes?" Barnaby was slightly confused, but enjoyed the drunk babbling the Japanese man was doing.

"Mhm! In th' attic. Gift from Mommy to Kaede. Then go visit Tomoe, just Daddy and Kaede."

"Sounds like it'd be fun. You should take me to your home sometime."

"Not thi first time, time aft'at." Kotetsu nodded, "Kaede and me need chance to 'ave Tomoe time together no distracted. She be real distracted by Bunny. She loves Bunny."

“You do too,” he reminded.

"Not the same. She loves the TV Bunny. I love the personal Bunny."

“Ah, I didn’t know there was a difference between Bunnies.”

"Of course there is! Bunny is dating Kotetsu, not Wild Tiger! Work we are partners as the public don't know personal us!"

“But I’m just the same at work as I am with you. I just show my affection more when we’re together. Not much of a difference.” Barnaby shrugged, studying Kotetsu’s hands suddenly.

"You know what I mean!"

The blond rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I know, I’m just teasing.”

Kotetsu sipped his water again and set it down before leaning in and planting a kiss on Barnaby's lips, "I'm getting sleepy, let's go cuddle until morning."

"Sounds like a good idea to me.  I need to change though before we cuddle. Come on." He picked up Kotetsu and carried him to his bedroom, which had been less of a Wild Tiger shrine then it had been the last time the Japanese man had seen it.

"Ah!" Kotetsu gasped when the light flicked on. True, Barnaby had begun to move his collection into storage, but there was still a fair amount of Wild Tiger around the room, and he had no memory of the first time he'd seen the collection. "Bunny! You have me all over your room!"

“Yeah, you didn’t remember?” Barnaby sat the Japanese man on the bed, then his eyes widened and he slapped his forehead. “Of course, you forgot a lot of things.”

"Sorry." Kotetsu kissed his cheek before pulling back to remove his clothes.

Barnaby had his back turned as Kotetsu stripped while he got dressed in his sleeping clothes, and when he turned back around, his face flushed and he gave a surprised noise. “K-Kotetsu?! What are you doing?”

"Hu?" Kotetsu blinked, halfway out of his pants, "Getting ready for bed?"

“You… don’t sleep naked that I know of.” The blond took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I don't have sleep clothes here. So underwear only." Kotetsu shrugged, "Didn't think you'd mind since we did sex last night…"

“I… Well, I don’t… but it was a little unexpected. Sorry.” Barnaby shook his head and turned to go to the bathroom.

Kotetsu smiled and made sure he leg was within reach before slipping under the covers and laying down, curling into a pillow. He was asleep before Barnaby returned.

The light was turned off as soon as Barnaby got back in the room, and he sighed as he climbed into his bed with Kotetsu beside him. “Foolish old man. You’ll have a headache in the morning.” He kissed the older man’s forehead and settled in to let sleep take him.

* * *

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FRIEND WE DEDICATED THIS STORY TOO!!!

Annoyed, Maverick marched along dimly lit halls hidden deep beneath the city. He was sick of being told that the Brooks couple refused to work, and he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He'd dealt with Barnaby and his annoying partner for the moment, but he was sure they'd become a problem again. He needed to hurry the project along.

The guards posted outside a thick metal door straightened upon spotting him, hurrying to unlock every chain and additional locks placed upon the door, which felt like overkill as the main lock was an iris scan. Once the locks had all been removed or unlocked, Maverick was scanned and the door buzzed open, allowing him entrance. The door was closed behind him and relocked.

"Ah, now, Mrs. Brooks…what's all this I hear about you and your husband not listening?" he asked, leaning over and stroking the woman's cheek with the back of his fingers.

“Hey, paws off, you disgusting bastard!” Barnaby Sr. snarled at the other man, balling a hand into a fist ready to punch him. “You don’t touch my wife!”

"You aren't in a position to demand anything of me, Brooks." Maverick huffed, ignoring the way Emily leaned away from his touch. He pulled her closer again and tilted his head to make a show of smelling her hair. "Oh my dear Emily…I don’t know why you ever chose a man like Brooks."

"Seems I chose correctly." She glared.

“On the contrary,” the larger man countered with a smile. “You would make a lovely addition to the Maverick family.”

“Keep your fucking nasty hands and fantasies to yourself, disgusting fucking jackass!” Barnaby Sr. tried hard to contain himself in front of his wife, but he was fed up with Maverick’s toying and teasing.

"I wouldn't even be here now if you didn't refuse to do your job, Brooks." Maverick sneered, "After all those years of watching my dear Emily in your arms, I've had enough. I have the upper hand, and I'll place them where I wish. You don't mind, do you, my dear?" he asked, tilting her head to the side and kissing along her neck under her blond hair.

Emily visibly shuttered, "I'd rather make out with a deadly spider."

“Get off of her!” The other man connected his fist to Maverick’s jaw hard, managing to shove him away from Emily. Barnaby Sr. gathered his wife into his arms, holding her tight as he stared at Maverick.

She shuttered again from the larger man's touch, hugging her beloved husband close as they both watched Maverick straighten up and wipe blood from his lip.

"You'll regret that, Brooks. Don't forget, I have your son in the palm of my hand."

“He’s smart,” Sr. snapped back. “He’ll find out what you’ve done, and you can be sure you’ll get what you deserve.”

"I assure you, Brooks, that if he does find me out, I will have no problem cleaning out his memory as I did with that annoying partner of his. And," he smirked, "If you hit me again I'll make sure he has no memory of you at all. I can make it so every single fond memory he has in his head of you will be replaced by myself. He'll call _me_ 'Father'."

"No!" Emily gasped, her eyes wide.

Sr. was shut up by that, only holding Emily close and petting her hair slowly. “What do you want from us? Why did you take us away from Barnaby?”

"You already know why. You discovered too much of the truth and it's too dangerous to mess with your memories. I need your skills to finish all this—and you are going to do it for me properly without trouble."

“Why kidnap us then? Why take us away from our son?” Sr. had a pleading look in his eyes.

"Don't think I don't know you'd run to the authorities. I don't want to deal with that mess."

“You should be turned in anyway. You’re doing horrible things, Maverick.”

"What I'm doing is for the greater good of the city." He countered, "Now get back to work. You have all you need."

“…Can we see our son first? We want to know how he’s doing…” Sr. looked at Emily and held her closer.

"If you are good, I'll allow you to have Hero TV streamed down here. But rewards don't come before the work. I will, however, show you your punishment if you don't behave." Maverick pulled out a folded photograph, handing it to Emily who took it hesitantly.

Slowly she unfolded it and a confused look crossed her face. "This is a picture of our son at work…"

"Yes, saving a little girl, if you look closer, my dear." He pointed, tapping the photograph twice, "But not just any little girl. Your son's partner's only child. It would be a shame if something were to happen to her, now wouldn't it?"

Sr. gasped, knowing very well that Wild Tiger was important to his son, and so was the girl. “You wouldn’t lay a hand on that girl…”

"Why wouldn't I? She means nothing to me…but…to Wild Tiger? To your son? To you?" the man smirked, "I know where she lives, where she attends school, the rout she walks home—I know when she's alone. I know when to have my men make their move. No one would suspect it. Just a random kidnapping. An amber alert being sent out with no leads to be had. Oh, it would _destroy_ Tiger who's already lost his dear wife to an incurable illness. To lose his daughter, too? The idiot's already depressed. He'll be reduced to just another distraction to keep Barnaby from finding any real leads on where his beloved parents have gone. Already he's a burden. I made sure of that."

Maverick gave a maddening grin, "You see, Wild Tiger happened to find out a little too much, just like you did, Brooks. I had to take care of the mess before it spread. I called in some war machines modified from some of your old designs to attack the city as we hunted him down and erased weeks of his life away from his memory. Oh, and as a bonus, one of the machines managed to damage him so badly in his fight against it that the doctors had to remove one of his legs. That'll hold him up for quite a while, in fact."

“You made him lose a leg?!” Sr. lunged at Maverick again. “You monster! You hurt one of your own heroes! You’ve hurt both of them!”

The guards in the room were quick to grab Barnaby Sr., pulling him back and restraining him.

"The heroes…do you actually think they make a difference either way? Even they are pawns! I'll use them all as I see fit, and Tiger was never an important one. If I'm to throw one under the bus, it'd be him. That's why I partnered him up with your son who just so happens to be my favorite." He walked over to Sr. and delivered a blow to his gut, making him gasp out and double over in pain as he whispered into his ear, "After all, Junior should have been my son."

"Barnaby!" Emily gasped, rushing towards her husband, only to be caught around the waist by Maverick.

"Maybe I'll take a break for some relaxation while you get to work, Brooks, hmm? You can get along without Emily for a while, can't you? Do it for the little girl's sake."

“No! Get your hands off my wife!” Sr. pulled out of the guards’ grip and reached out for Emily. “Em!”

As her husband reached for her, Emily shook her head, "Don't touch me, Barnaby!" she shouted right before she brought her heel down hard on Maverick's toes and bit his hand hard. She began to glow blue, sparks flying off her as blue-white electricity shot out from her body into the man touching her.

Sr. backed away quickly with wide eyes. “Em…” He let a small smile grace his lips before he backed up more.

Maverick shouted as he was electrocuted. He tried to push Emily away, but he was too stunned by the sudden huge amount of electricity flowing through him.

As soon as her charge was used up, she slipped away quickly, moving back towards her husband, though not too close. Still glowing, small sparks and zaps of electricity  crackled around her as she glared at Maverick and the guards. "Don't—come closer!" she gasped, panting as if she'd just ran a race.

“Em, are you okay?” Sr. moved closer to Emily, though he didn’t touch her yet until the sparks settled down to where he knew they wouldn’t hurt him. At that point, he put his arms around her and supported her as she caught her breath.

Maverick fell to the floor, gripping his hand tight while glaring at the Brooks. He pushed away the guards who tried to help him up, getting up on his own though very unsteadily.

"I—I never used—that much before…" she gasped as the glow faded completely. There wasn’t a time limit on her power like her son's, but it did have an energy limit, and the more tired she was, the less power she could use.

“Just relax now, Sweetheart. You did great.” He gave her a small kiss before pushing her head against his chest. He returned the glare at Maverick as the other man stood. “I told you not to touch her.”

"When did she?" The man tried to growl, though it was clear he'd taken quite a blow, and not just to his pride.

“You haven’t paid much attention to us if you didn’t know about her power until now. Then again, maybe it was a good thing you didn’t know.” Sr. only held Emily closer, stroking her hair.

"Then…" Maverick frowned thinking before a look of realization dawned on his face. "…I wonder what Barnaby's potential would be now… I had assumed he was normal…" He turned, limping towards the door.

Barnaby Sr. looked warily at Maverick, turning his wife away from the man with a slight growl. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

He paused, smirking, "…I gave him his Hundred Power because I needed someone I could control with it. But if Emily is a NEXT, he could have another power natural to him hidden away. I knew he'd be a good investment."

“What?!” Sr.’s eyes widened as he looked back at Emily. “But… the Hundred Power is his natural power, isn’t it?”

"Not at all. I drained it from the only two who had Hundred Power naturally. I drained Mr. Legend until he began to lose his powers before his untimely death—and then when another kid showed up with those same powers, I let him become a hero so I could drain some of his, too. Of course, I didn't need as much, and all the while I experimented on the son that should have been mine, finding ways to infuse it into him until it worked. You see, No one knows where NEXT powers came from…but my team of scientists and doctors have discovered what causes it. Festinating, really. Tiny particles within our blood which can be passed on parent to child, but rarely the same as they mutate as the child grows."

“Running in the blood… some powers are very dangerous, and they harm people easily. If someone were to have a strong power, or have their powers tampered with…” Sr.’s eyes widened even more. “Of course, that was why Barnaby was so sick all the time! Because his body would keep rejecting the new power! You really are a monster!”

"I made your son into something special. You should thank me, Brooks."

"He was already—something special." Emily gasped, "Powers or not. He's my baby boy, and you hurt him… Six years…he was often ill for six years, needing to be homeschooled…" Her weak voice raised to a scream, "HE WAS FOUR WHEN HE FIRST FELL ILL! FOUR! YOU EXPERIMENTED ON MY FOUR YEAR OLD BABY BOY!"

“You’re a terrible person! A right ass!” Barnaby Sr. held his wife tight as tears formed in his eyes and no doubt hers as well. “How could you do that to our son?! He was just a damn child! He couldn’t do anything to defend or protect himself! You’ve got to be bat shit crazy to think that I would EVER thank you for what you did to Barnaby!”

"Well then, if you want to see it that way…consider it revenge for marrying Emily." He said, signaling for the door to be opened.

"Oh, when this is all over…you'll have no memory of any of this." Maverick smirked as the door opened, "Now get to work. Don't forget that little girl's safety is counting on you. Maybe I'll turn her into my second experiment~"

And then he was gone, the door locking behind him.

“You sick bastard! You’ll never get away with this! I’ll make sure your sorry, lying ass is exposed to the world for everyone to see!” Sr. shook as he yelled, his grip on Emily only tightening until the rotten man was gone. At that point, he let his tears fall, disappointed in the man they had trusted for years.

“No… I won’t work for that man,” Sr. whispered to his wife. “Not after what he’s done to our son. Did you notice Barnaby didn’t need glasses until he was hit with the illness? I bet that was Maverick’s doing as well.” The man buried his face in Emily’s shoulder, body shaking with silent crying.

"What…are we to do? We can't…let him do that to another child… but…we can't let him do—whatever he's planning…. And…Oh, Barnaby! I—I miss our baby boy…"

“I miss him too, Em. I want to be out of here, and I want us to be together as a family again, just sitting around, being with each other.” He took a deep breath. “That girl… Has Barnaby talked about her before?”

"Yes, he has a few times…Kendra—no, Kaede I think her name is."

“Kaede…Em, I have a plan.” Sr. sat upright and looked around the room, then lowered his voice and whispered. “We will start working, but on something entirely different that Maverick won’t suspect. We need to find a way to get into the Hero TV broadcast intercom. We get into that; we can warn everyone and tell the world what Maverick did.”

"How? Even with what we have we don't have the right things to send out a broadcast or message. They were very careful about what they supplied us with…"

“We’ll just have to make do with what we have. We can tweak some things to work in our favor, maybe use things we have that aren’t considered supplies.” He looked at her knowingly, referring to her power.

"I'll need a good night's rest to save up my energy again. I used it all up on him…"

“I know. We’ll start working tomorrow.” Sr. sighed and hugged Emily tight. “We’ll see our baby boy again soon, Sweetheart. I promise we will…”

"I'm sorry…this is all my fault…I shouldn't have ever confronted him when we found out he was up to no good… If I had stayed quiet we could have gone to the police rather than end up stuck down here…"

“It’s not your fault, Em. We had no idea something like this would have happened. Don’t go blaming yourself at all for this. We’ll get out of here soon, too. All we have to do is contact Barnaby and we’re saved.”

Emily took a deep breath, tiny sparks zipping through her tearful eyes left over from using so much of her power at once. "…I should have zapped him with all I had—maybe it would have messed with _his_ head…" she finally muttered bitterly.

“You did fine. You caught him off guard, and I’m proud of you for that.” He kissed her forehead a couple of times. “You’re so amazing, Em. Don’t ever forget that.”

She shuttered, "I'm not sure what I'm more upset about…his threat to that little girl, what he did to Tiger…what he did to Barnaby…or how he kissed my neck and thinks I should be his—that our Barnaby should be his…"

"Our boy will never be his, no matter what has happened in the past. Barnaby will always be ours. Nothing can change that fact. He's never going to take you from me either, the dumb bastard." Sr. managed a smile as he calmly rubbed Emily's shoulders and arms.

"…Lets…share a cot tonight…I know they are small but…I'll feel better being closer to you tonight." She sighed, hugging him.

"Of course. I'm sure we'll sleep fine in just one cot." He hugged her back and whispered many 'I love you's into her ear.

"I love you, too." She sighed as they helped each other up and made their way over to the cots in the corner of the room.

* * *

To be continued…


	17. Chapter 17

Another day of too much paperwork and too little calls came upon Kotetsu and Barnaby. They worked at their desks for most of the morning, as well as the afternoon. Nothing exciting was happening all day, and Barnaby wasn’t finding any more leads in finding his parents. It was getting frustrating to him, and he was about ready to give up entirely and leave the whole matter to someone else.

"You look discouraged." Kotetsu observed, leaning back in his seat.

"It's just been hard trying to find another lead to my parents. Every time I try, I end up just as lost as before." Barnaby sighed and leaned back in his chair as well. "I'm tired of finding so many dead ends."

"Have you tried forging your own path?" Kotetsu asked, "Maybe the lead didn't end, maybe it was just blocked."

“… I am still suspicious of Maverick,” he said with a quieter voice. “I think he had something to do with your memory loss too, but I can’t prove it without evidence. And that kind of evidence is stuff that I can’t get to.”

"I…still get headaches when I try to remember anything in that void." Kotetsu admitted, "It's…really not natural. Not like I simply forgot something…"

“No, I’m certain your memory had to be tampered with somehow. I just don’t know who did it or why.”

"…Maybe I saw something I shouldn't have…" Kotetsu whispered.

“Like what? Maybe who my parents’ captors were? Something like that, I’m guessing.”

"I really have no idea. But think about it. If you were up to something illegal and some guy witnesses you saying or doing something that would link you to said crime, you'd want to make sure that person didn't—or _couldn't_ report it to anyone. You'd make the person disappear—and in my case? My memory of it disappeared rather than all of me physically. It's less suspicious if I happened to get a bump on my head and have some memory problems from it than if I just go missing, and if they have a way to ensure the right memories go missing, it really is their better option."

“Then either you really did just bump your head, or someone is smart about what they’re doing.” Barnaby sighed and leaned forward onto his desk. “There are just so many things that could have actually happened.”

"I know…" Kotetsu sighed, rubbing his temple as he closed his eyes, "I wish I could remember…"

“Don’t force yourself. You don’t need to get hurt because of trying to remember.” Barnaby flashed a smile at Kotetsu. “I thank you for your efforts though. They’re greatly appreciated.”

"It just feels like there is something there waiting to be found." He shook his head.

“Maybe something could trigger it. If we go back to where you were attacked, we might be able to crack something open.”

"The area's still under construction." Kotetsu shook his head, "We can't get near it."

“We’re heroes. We should be able to get in somehow, shouldn’t we? Besides, it is for an investigation.”

"We'd need clearance at this point."

“I can easily get that. There shouldn’t be a reason why us heroes can’t access any point in the city that we need to be at.” Barnaby looked at his computer and got to work getting permission to access the construction area.

"It'll have to be before or after this weekend. I'm going home to Kaede for two days and one night."

“We’ll worry about going after the weekend then. Your time with Kaede is more important at this point.” Barnaby sat back with a smile. “You don’t need the added stress of going back to the place you were attacked before you go spend time with your daughter.”

"Not to mention she'll be real upset of something happened to make me break my promise."

“Definitely don’t break your promise to her. She needs you in her life now more than ever. My parents were the same way you are really. Busy, trying to get things done, yet they always tried to find time to be with me. It really helped when I was sick for a few years.”

"I wish I could see her more, but it's hard alone…" He sighed, "Tomoe was a stay at home mom. She had her own business she ran out of the home so she could watch Kaede every time I got called away. Being a hero means I could never know when I'd have to run off unless I had the day off and it wasn't an emergency situation. When Tomoe grew ill, Mom came to the city to help watch Kaede, and after Tomoe…well…it was just better for her to go live with my mom."

“I’m sorry about Tomoe… If it would have been possible, I would have loved to meet her in person. From what you say about her, she was a wonderful woman.”

"She was." Kotetsu dug out his wallet and pulled out a wallet sized copy of their wedding photo, holding it out to him, "She was perfect; really knew how to handle someone like me."

Barnaby shook his head. “Tragic, what happened to her. She was very beautiful though.”

"She was…and our Kaede looks more like her every time I see her." Kotetsu smiled softly, "I'd do anything to protect her…Even if it means letting her think I'm a lame dad…"

“Kaede loves you, and I’m sure she thinks you’re the coolest dad in the world. Every kid thinks their dad is the coolest. It just works that way, even if they oppose it. Deep down, Kaede really loves you and thinks you’re the best. You can’t ever be replaced in her life.”

"I never knew my dad…it was always Muramasa, Mom, and I growing up. My brother's a good bit older than me but as much as he helped raise me, he's still my brother, not a father figure. I admit, I'm somewhat lost with being a dad, but I hope you are right and that she does secretly think I'm the best dad."

“To most young girls Kaede’s age, their dads are their heroes. I’m sure you are certainly Kaede’s hero, even if she says you’re lame.”

"Speaking from experience? I didn't realize you had been a little girl at one point." Kotetsu teased as the door opened and a mail carrier for the building walked in with a long, thin box in his cart of mail.

The carrier placed the box on Kotetsu's desk, and a large stack of fan letters on Barnaby's before leaving again.

"Oh—is this?" Kotetsu quickly picked up the box and ripped the tape off it to open it, soon pulling out a long, sleek cane with a green and white marbled look to it and a comfortable grip. "My independence came in the mail today, Bunny!"

Barnaby disregarded the fan mail to look over at Kotetsu’s new cane. “That’s pretty fancy looking. Now you don’t need me.” He smirked at Kotetsu.

"Jealous that I don't need to hold your hand anymore?" Kotetsu smirked, pushing himself up and testing it out by walking around his desk and to Barnaby the long way around.

“I never said that. But won’t you miss actually getting to hold my hand? You don’t need to anymore.” Barnaby looked up at Kotetsu while pushing his glasses up.

"Of course not. Now I'll get to do it simply because I want to."

“Oh, so you will hold my hand still? I was thinking maybe you didn’t want to anymore, now that you’re so independent.” He stood as he rolled his eyes.

"Why wouldn't I want to? Bunny's hands are so soft."

“Really now? I had no idea.” Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu’s free hand with a smirk. “How soft are my hands?”

"Soft enough to want to keep holding onto." Kotetsu smiled, running his thumb over the soft pale skin.

“Well, that seems like a good enough reason to keep holding onto my hands.” The blond leaned over and kissed Kotetsu’s cheek. “Let’s go walk around some. You’ll need to get used to that cane.”

"Let me grab my hat!" Kotetsu nodded, moving back around to his desk and grabbing his hat from where it hung off the corner of a partially open drawer. "It is close enough to lunch; we could go get something to eat."

“Sounds good to me. Have any place in mind to go to?”

"Nope, just someplace I can walk to."

“A short distance. I don’t want you hurting yourself by walking too far.” The two headed out of the building and onto the sidewalks of Sternbild, walking to a place that was close by to get some food.

"How about a street burger?" Kotetsu asked, gesturing towards a food truck parked about a block away with a decent sized line.

“Seems like a good place. I’m up for it.” Barnaby led Kotetsu to the food truck line, trying to avoid being noticed by anyone.

"What do you what? My treat this time." Kotetsu asked, using his free hand to dig out his wallet.

“Nothing much. A simple cheese burger is fine. No pickles.” He put an arm around Kotetsu with a smile.

Kotetsu blushed and nodded, "You never eat your pickles…" He shook his head as they stepped up to the window and Kotetsu ordered and paid for their food.

“They upset my stomach. I can’t handle them.” Barnaby shrugged and waited.

"Can you grab our drinks?" Kotetsu asked as he was handed a paper bag with their food in it, and two cans of flavored soft drinks were set on the window for them.

He nodded and grabbed the cans, then returned to Kotetsu’s side. “Want to go to the park to eat? It’s nearby, only a few more blocks to the North.”

"Yeah, it'll be a good test for longer distances to see if my leg starts chafing or something." He nodded.

They headed off to the park, finding a lone park bench to sit and eat at. They sat there with very little people around, which Barnaby was thankful for. There had been so much activity recently that he hadn’t had much time to rest.

Kotetsu leaned back against the bench, watching a squirrel scurry around from tree to tree, "Your birthday's coming up, right?" he asked suddenly.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. The 31st. Why do you ask? Planning on something big for me?” Barnaby smiled as he also watched the squirrel.

"Maybe not big, but I have a little something in mind." Kotetsu smiled and shoved the rest of his burger into his mouth, his cheek full of the oversized bite.

“And what is this thing you have planned? Or should it stay a secret?”

"Silly Bunny, don't you know birthday surprises are always a surprise?"

“Ah, I know. I was just teasing.” Barnaby nudged Kotetsu’s elbow playfully.

"You'll like it, I hope." Kotetsu said, slipping his arm around Barnaby's shoulders.

“If it’s anything from you, I’m sure I’d like it.” Barnaby sneaked a kiss to Kotetsu’s cheek.

"We'll see…I'm not always the best at gifting." Kotetsu chuckled and sipped his soft drink.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. You’re not that bad at gifting.”

"You haven't received anything yet. I always think it's great but sometimes it's a lame idea." He shrugged, "At the very least you'll get a laugh."

“So it’s a funny gift? Either way, I’m sure I’ll like it.”

"If not I can make it up to you by cooking." Kotetsu promised.

“Ah, yes. Fried rice for my birthday. Hey, maybe you and Mom can get together and both cook for me. Mom will want to cook anyways so…” Barnaby’s smile faded as he remembered his parents were missing. “F-forget it…”

Kotetsu shook his head and pulled Barnaby in closer, "No, if I could bring them home to you for your birthday then you know I would. I wish I can…"

“I hope they’re okay. I know they’re strong, but I’m so worried for them. I… I hope Mom is alright. Dad does his best to protect her, but…” Barnaby took a deep breath, looking down at his feet with furrowed eyebrows. “God damn it, once I find out who did this, I’m going to kill them.”

"Bunny!" Kotetsu looked startled, "There is no need for killing. We'll make sure they get their punishment but heroes don't kill. We don't fall to the level of bad guys. They'll be locked up in jail where they can't hurt anyone anymore."

“They deserve death for what they’ve done to me. My parents are two of the most famous robotics engineers to ever live, and they’re on a list of people that it’s a serious offence to harm them in any way. Their captors are going to get what they deserve, and they’ll be begging for mercy.” The blond balled his hands into fists.

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu grabbed his shoulders with a serious look, "We will get your parents back safe and take down those who took them, but we do it by the rules—legally. I'll make sure they won't escape proper justice."

Barnaby stared long into Kotetsu's eyes with anger and hurt, but the harsh look soon softened, and the blond fell into Kotetsu's arms, hugging the older man tight.

"I know you're upset." Kotetsu sighed, holding him, "But try not to let your anger take over your judgment. You aren't alone."

Though he didn't know it, his words were ones he'd said before to the blond.

"I know... It's hard." Barnaby took a deep and slow breath before sitting back up properly. "Thank you, Kotetsu. You're a bigger help to me than you'll ever know."

"I know it's hard…if it was my mom, brother, or daughter who was missing I'd be just as upset as you feel, I'm sure. Family…is everything."

"It sure is..." They sat there for a little longer before Barnaby stood and stretched. "We'd better get going back to Apollon. They'll be worrying about us, I'm sure."

Kotetsu looked up at Barnaby a moment before nodding and pushing himself up, gathering their trash, "Alright."

“Thanks for lunch. I’ll pay next time.” Barnaby grabbed the trash from Kotetsu and threw it away at the nearest trash can before returning to the older hero.

Kotetsu waited until they were in a secluded part of the park pathway before he responded, planting a small kiss on Barnaby's cheek, "Any time, Little Bunny."

* * *

To be continued…


	18. Chapter 18

That weekend was an exciting one to look forward to for Kaede. For one, she got to see her dad again and walking better than he had before. Second, she was going to go see her mom with her dad, and no one else was allowed to go with them. It was going to be just the three of them together again. Kaede hoped her mom would like the flowers she had gotten for her. Anju had helped the girl pick them out.

Kaede sat by the front window inside the house. Muramasa had gone to the train station to pick up Kotetsu, and he had been gone for nearly half an hour. Kaede was growing bored, though she didn’t want to leave the window in case she missed her father coming in.

Another ten minutes passed before she spotted her uncle's old truck driving down the road and soon turning into their drive. The truck pulled into it's usual place and the passenger door opened, Kotetsu soon appearing, cane in hand and some difficulty getting down out of the truck showing when it came to balancing on his new leg.

Kaede instantly rose from her seat and rushed outside to Kotetsu. She greeted him with a huge hug that nearly knocked him over, but she held tight all the same and buried her face into his shirt.

"K-Kaede!" Kotetsu hadn't expected that; she hadn't greeted him like that since she was eight. But he wasn't going to complain as he leaned back against the truck and wrapped his arms around his baby girl with a smile, "I missed you too."

“Grandma and I went to the flower shop earlier today. We got mom some flowers for when we go see her.” Kaede looked up with a wide smile. “I hope she’ll like them.”

"I'm sure she'll love them." He smiled, reaching back into the truck for his bag and nodding the girl towards the house. "Lets go inside so I can greet my mom, then I'm all yours this weekend, just as I promised."

Kaede helped bring in her father’s things, then went to the kitchen where Anju was.

Kotetsu moved around, hugging his mother in greeting and commenting that dinner smelled great as they casually chatted about how his progress was coming with the new leg.  Then he dropped his things off in his room and finally turned back to Kaede with a smile, "Okay, I think we'll go to see your mom tomorrow when we have more time to visit with her, so today we'll go up to the attic."

“I’m excited! I thought about it, and I think I’ll be ready to open that box Mom left.” Kaede nodded confidently.

"Just remember that you can do so whenever or however  you want. Alone, with me…with your mom…"

“I want to with you and Mom. I feel like it’ll be right that way.”

Kotetsu nodded and rubbed her cheek with her thumb. "Tomorrow's visit, then."

“Absolutely!” Kaede hugged Kotetsu tight with a big smile. “I can’t wait to see Mom tomorrow!”

"Me too. It's been too long since my last visit to her."

Together they moved up into the attic, Kaede helping her father to make sure he didn't fall on the ladder. Once up there, Kaede turned on the light as Kotetsu moved around to a pile of boxes covered with a dust cloth. He pulled it off and sat down on a crate, a nervous, distant look in his eye as he took a deep breath and moved a box closer, touching the cardboard with Tomoe's name written across it's side. He hadn't touched or looked through these boxes since he had packed them all away.

"I'm nervous…" he laughed, his hands shaking slightly as his daughter sat down next to him. "Watch this one be just nothing but clothes, and I'll lose it…"

“Don’t be nervous, Dad. You’ll be fine. And if it is clothes, I’ll cry with you.” Kaede put a hand on her father’s shoulder gently. “We do this together.”

Kotetsu nodded and took a deep breath, "I never thought I'd be ready to even conceder going through these old boxes…It's still difficult, but…I'm ready to face my heart's pain in order to move on. I'm glad you are doing this with me, Kaede…I'd want no one else by my side right now."

“I’m glad. Now let’s open it all up! I wanna see what Mom left!” Kaede patted Kotetsu’s shoulder excitedly.

Kotetsu swallowed and nodded, his trembling fingers running over cardboard a few more times before they dug under the flap and pulled it up, opening the box and finding a very carefully packed box of glittering white silk. A cry left him from deep within. This box…it had to be the first one, didn't it? He sat frozen with the box in his lap.

“Dad?” Kaede looked at the box, running a finger over the silk. “What’s this box? It’s pretty.” She smiled up at her father.

"Her…her wedding dress…the pictures never did do it justice…" With tears in his eyes he set it down and with trembling fingers he pinched the rich fabric, pulling it up out of the box to show his daughter. He stood up. The veil and the suit he had worn still sitting in the box at his feet.

Kaede’s eyes widened, as did her smile. “Dad… it’s so pretty!” She stood up with him and reached out to touch the dress fondly.

"Maybe…one day…when you are older and have met the right special someone…" Kotetsu started to say, only to feel even more tears sting at his eyes and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself, "When that time comes this will be yours. You just better not bring about that day too quickly. Daddy wants his baby girl all to himself as long as possible."

“Dad, you have me for a good while longer. I’m not getting married for a long time.” She giggled as she sat back down. “Besides, I don’t need a boy to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”

"To you it may seem like a long time, but to me, it's like just yesterday that you were six, running around dressed up as a Disney princess and trying to talk to birds and squirrels. Time goes by so fast. And I know you can, but trust me, when your heart's attention is caught by another person, you have little choice in falling in love."

“Dad…did you ever have trouble falling in love? I know you and Mom got together, and now you’re with another guy, but all the other times you had the chance, why didn’t you fall in love then?”

"My heart never felt that pull any other times. I mean, I've had crushes on people before, sure, but it was a passing thing. Nothing really developed at all like they did with your mom and now…like they are with my boyfriend…ah—that feels weird to say out loud." He chuckled and looked down at the dress in his hands, "I don't know if it will go as far as marriage, but…he's truly the only person to make that part of my heart feel alive again."

“If he makes you feel like Mom did… I think you should reconsider marriage. He makes you happier than you’ve been in years. He shouldn’t be put to the side if you’re in love with him.”

"Don't rush us into that commitment, Kaede." Kotetsu chuckled, "Let us get to know each other as a couple first and see where it leads."

“How long have you two been together? Before you called me about it, that is. Clearly you have been with him before you actually called me to make sure it was okay.” She smirked, putting her hands on her hips. “I know your tendencies, Dad.”

"Actually, I told him my answer to his confession to me would depend on you." Kotetsu said, "I mean, okay, we had our first kiss the night before I called you, but before that we kept things professional. I would have asked you sooner but I was rather distracted…" He glanced at his leg and sat down on the crate again.

“Ah, so you were together before you called me. I knew you were, the way you talked.” Kaede laughed as she touched the dress again. “You’re mad about him, aren’t you?”

Kotetsu's cheeks flushed, "There…is something really special about him. And I think you'll like him. But this weekend is about you, me, and your mom so I didn't bring him to formally introduce him to the family.

“Well, next time you come, bring him. I’d love to meet him, and to tell him to treat you right.” She smirked playfully. “I won’t let him be with you if he breaks your heart.”

"Next time I come home or you come visit me, I'll make sure you meet. It'll be better that way than over the phone or without him here at all."

“I would love to get a look at him. Oh, have I seen him before? What’s his name?” Kaede got closer to her father the more excited she became.

"You have—you have even had conversations with him before." Kotetsu sighed, afraid that of the girl knew it was Barnaby; she'd be too distracted to fully appreciate their weekend.

“I’ve talked to him?! Oh Dad… it’s not Uncle and Antonio is it?” Kaede pouted a little.

"What? Of course not! He's almost like a brother to me. Having feelings for him would be like having feelings for Muramasa and no! No, yuck!" he shuttered at the thought.

“Good! I would have had to slap you.” She relaxed, looking back at the box. “Well, let’s continue. We still have a lot to go through.”

"We don't have to go through everything, but…" Kotetsu nodded, carefully placing the dress back in its box, taking care to do so, so it wouldn't wrinkle.

“I want to go through everything. We have time.” She smiled, touching the dress once more before she looked at the larger box.

"It's going to take a while…I was…unable to let anything of hers go. Clothes, books…everything. We may need snacks."

“I can have Grandma make something later. Cookies or something.” Kaede scooted closer to her father and leaned against him. “What’s the next thing?”

"You choose a box this time." Kotetsu suggested, "We'll take turns choosing until we have looked in every one."

“Okay…” She looked into the box and pullout a smaller, thinner box. When she opened it, her face lit up. “It’s a couple framed pictures.”

Together father and daughter sorted through the boxes until amidst a box full of books, Kotetsu found a smaller box carefully wrapped in pink paper.

"Kaede." He held it out to her. "From your mother."

Kaede’s eyes widened as she took the box carefully. She sat with it in her lap for a few minutes. “Do you know what this is, Dad?”

"Only a little." Kotetsu said gently, "I know one secret within that gift…but the rest only your mother knows."

Kaede nodded slowly and bit her lip. She started to pull away the pink paper gently after she sat quietly for a little longer.

"Ready now? You aren't going to wait for when we visit her?" Kotetsu asked, watching her as a beautifully crafted wooden box was uncovered. A keyhole hinting that the box was locked.

Again she paused, admiring the wooden box with a smile. "I'll wait until tomorrow to open the box... You do have the key to it, right?"

"Yes. The box is the part I know about." Kotetsu nodded and reached into his pocket to pull out an old, yellowing envelope. He opened it and brought out a golden chain with a tiny key dangling from it. He moved closer to Kaede and fastened it about her neck.

"So you don't know about anything that's inside..." She smiled and felt the key between her fingers. "I can't wait to see what Mom left me."

"I do know that it's musical." Kotetsu whispered, kissing the top of her head before looking down at the box, "And that it's very old. It belonged to your mother, and before that, her mother, and her mother's mother. I'm not sure how far back it goes, but…now it's time that it's passed on to you, as your mother wished."

"A music box?" Kaede stroked a corner of the box. "I'll play the music for her again. I'm sure she'd like to hear it after so many years."

"I'm sure she would." He smiled at her, "You were her greatest treasure, you know. If I were to take a guess at what may be inside that…I think that there will be her favorite picture of you."

"Maybe a picture of all three of us! I'd like that. I want a picture of Mom that I can look at every day when I wake up and when I go to bed." She giggled as she stood, the box in her arms. "Let's go show Grandma!"

Kotetsu nodded, "Take the box down first and set it somewhere safe so you can help me down." He agreed.

Kaede did as she was told, helping her father by making sure his foot was in proper position on every other step of the ladder. Then they, together, made their way to the kitchen.

"Done already?" Anju asked.

“Yeah, we went through a lot of stuff though! We saw Mom’s wedding dress and some pictures of her with Dad. A whole bunch of other stuff too. And we found that box that Mom left for me. We haven’t opened it yet, but Dad says it’s a music box. I’m gonna play the music for Mom tomorrow when we go see her.” Kaede bounced slightly.

"Sounds like you are having fun walking down memory lane…how are you holding up, Kotetsu?"

"It's rough at times, but I'm glad we are doing it." Kotetsu nodded.

“Dad only cried a few times,” Kaede teased, but she gave her father another hug. “I like seeing all of Mom’s stuff. Feels like I’m getting to know her better.”

"So can I ask what sparked this weekend's father-daughter activities?" Anju asked, offering them each a sample of freshly baked cinnamon bread.

“Dad called me and wanted to ask if it was okay for him to date again, though you could have just gone ahead without asking me, as long as you would have told me about it. But then we got talking about Mom, and Dad mentioned something that Mom had left for me.”

Anju gave her son a knowing look, "I had a feeling that young man would help you heal."

Kaede gave a confused look, but shrugged it off. “Dad said next time he comes back here, he’ll bring his boyfriend with him.”

"Already?" The woman looked at her son.

Kotetsu shrugged, "This weekend is about Tomoe. But Kaede will be upset if I don't introduce her to him soon."

“He better be nice, or I won’t let him date you, Dad.” Kaede put her hands on her hips.

"I'm pretty sure you'll approve." Kotetsu smiled, ruffling her hair.

“I’m not making any sort of decision until I meet him.”

"Trust me, you'll like him." Kotetsu grinned.

Kaede rolled her eyes and smirked. “Whatever Dad.”

 

* * *

 

The next day Muramasa dropped Kaede and Kotetsu off at the graveyard, telling them to call him when they were about ready to leave so that he could take Kotetsu to the train station before he and his niece headed home.

Kotetsu followed his daughter up to the place his wife had been laid to rest, taking his time to caress the stone marker before he lowered himself to sit down with their daughter.

"Good morning, Tomoe."

“Hi, Mom! I brought some flowers for you.” Kaede set down a bunch of white lilies. “I hope you like them. Grandma helped me pick them out.”  She looked over at Kotetsu with a smile. “Dad and I looked through a lot of your stuff yesterday. He only cried a few times.”

Kotetsu chuckled, "I can't help it, I miss you…but…it was good for me…I haven't been able to do that before now. Good for Kaede, too. She was saying how she feels closer to you now."

“And now, Dad has a boyfriend that’s helping him too. Don’t worry, Mom, he’s not forgetting about you. Besides, he says he doesn’t fall in love too easily, which is understandable considering it’s Dad.”

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, Kaede?" Kotetsu pouted.

“Oh, come on, Dad. You don’t get out any! You keep to yourself unless you’re working as a… what was it? Insurance agent?” Kaede shook her head. “Anyways, Dad and I dug out the box you left for me, Mom. I just unwrapped it, but I haven’t opened it yet.”

"She wanted to be with you, and to play the music for you again." Kotetsu smiled.

"Well I gotta open the box first." Kaede set the box in front of her, then removed the key from around her neck. She stuck the key into the small keyhole and turned it slowly.

Kotetsu reached out and rubbed her back as the lock clicked open.

Kaede opened the lid, soft music beginning to play. Inside the box were a few things, photos of the small family and of just the girl's parents, a silver bracelet that had blue and gold beads on it, Tomoe's diary that had been written in up until the woman's last day, and a small envelope with Kaede's name written in neat, almost curly letters.

The girl's eyes lit up as she took out the bracelet. "It's so pretty... And shinny too!" She quickly put it on her wrist and grabbed the pictures. "Dad, you look so young in this picture." Kaede smiled as she showed her father. "You actually looked kinda good. I can see why Mom fell for you."

Kotetsu flushed, "That's from when we first met. Look, you can see Antonio in the background there." He said, pointing. "And that's your mom. You really do look so much like her."

Kaede looked at the picture more. "Mom wore glasses? All the pictures you have are ones of her without." She tilted her head to the side.

"Shortly after meeting her she started getting contacts." Kotetsu explained. "Though I always thought it was cute when she wore her glasses."

The girl nodded in agreement. “She looked cute with glasses.” Kaede moved to the diary and read a few entries. None of them mentioned the fact that Kotetsu was a hero, so Kaede instead enjoyed reading about what her mother did day to day.

While Kaede read from the small journal, Kotetsu opened the basket they had brought and began to set out their lunch.

Kaede smiled and laughed every once in a while as she read. Her mother had written a lot of things about Kotetsu, and most of them were funny to the girl. “Mom wrote a lot of silly things about you in here.” Kaede set the journal down with a giggle. “She said you would freak out over the smallest things, like if she got a paper cut. There was one time she wrote about that you were ready to take her to the hospital because of a tiny paper cut that was bleeding.”

Kotetsu flushed, "She was pregnant with you and the cut wouldn't stop bleeding…"

“It wasn’t like she or I were gonna die because of that paper cut!” Kaede laughed.

"I was new to the whole being a dad thing. I was worried about you both."

“Well, we both made it out alright in the end. Anyways, she also talked about how much she loved you, which I kinda expected to be in there. Still, it was cute.”

"Really? What'd she say about me?" He asked, scooting closer to her.

“She said she liked the way your hair looked when you woke up every morning, and she liked your dedication to things, liked how you looked and she loved to watch you work, which I don’t seen the fun in watching you work really. You’re an insurance agent after all. That has to be boring.” Kaede shrugged. “Stuff like that. Oh, she said you really are a great hero, whatever that means.”

Kotetsu blinked, a soft smile gracing his lips, "Tomoe…" he reached out to touch her gravestone.

“Anyways, the last entry she had was shorter than the rest. It was only a few sentences. I think it was meant for you.” Kaede picked up the journal and turned to the last entry. “The page is wrinkly too, like it got wet or something. I’ll read it for you.” She scooted closer to Kotetsu could see while she read. “ ‘Kotetsu, I may not be around when you read this, but there’s one thing I want you to know. You’re doing amazing at your job, and I never want you to stop. I still want to watch you even after I’m gone. I love you.’ Then she signed her name. Oh, and there is a 'P.S.' a few lines down that has me curious. It says 'P.S. Stop being so stubborn and tell her before I do!'.” She showed her father.

Kotetsu swallowed and his eyes moved to the sealed envelope, getting a strong feeling as to what lay within it.

“So what does that mean? Did she want you to tell me something? Or grandma?” Kaede looked curiously at her father with big eyes.

"…You…" Kotetsu sighed, "I guess this means she didn't trust me to know when to tell you…" He picked up the envelope and held it up to the sun, seeing what looked to be a letter and a thicker card within it. He had no doubt it contained his secret. He sighed, lowering it and turning it over in his hands. "I had wanted to wait just a little longer, but now that I have given you your mother's music box…it would be selfish of me to withhold anything Tomoe had placed in it for you…even if it's my secret…" He sighed and handed her the envelope.

"Tomoe…" he glanced at the stone they both sat beside.

Kaede looked at the envelope with a concerned expression, then at her mother’s headstone. “Your… secret?” The girl swallowed and looked up at her father briefly before opening the envelope carefully and slowly.

Kotetsu nodded, "She'll probably be better at telling you…"

 

_My dear, sweet Kaede,_

_How I wish I could be there to help you as you grow each day. You are my treasure, and if there is only one thing I regret it is that I will never get to see you to adulthood, not in the way most mothers get to, anyway. But I know in my heart that you will grow up into a strong, beautiful young woman who, like myself, knows how to deal with your father when he gets a little overbearing._

_I want you to do me a favor now or as soon as you next see your father. If he hasn't yet told you his secret, give him a little smack for me as I can not do so myself._

_We had, together when you were born, agreed to not tell you until you were old enough, but if you are reading this letter, that means your father believes you are old enough to have what I have left behind special for you. And if you are old enough for these memories, then you are old enough to know his secret. Please deal with him now before continuing to read._

 

Kaede smirked, though still very confused, and turned to smack Kotetsu on the arm. “That’s from Mom.” She turned back to the letter and continued reading.

"Okay, okay…I may deserve it…" the father sighed.

 

_Now that his punishment has been taken care of, I'm not sure what he's told you he does for a living, but it's a lie. There is only one career that would keep him away from you. I know he likely will have sent you to live with his mother simply because his work hours are so inconsistent. Please don't be mad at him for keeping his secret, in his heart he believes you will be safer not knowing. It's why we both had agreed to keep it from you while you are younger. But the truth is sitting in this envelope. I have included a small picture of him at work, and I believe it speaks for itself. I love you always, my little jewel, be strong and live your life to the fullest._

_Love, Mommy._

 

Kaede’s eyes widened as she took out the other component of the envelope, a copy of the very first Wild Tiger trading card that was a little worn around the edges, but otherwise in great condition. The card was signed by Wild Tiger himself, but what was on the back was what Kaede was meant to read.

As she turned it over, her eyes got wider, reading the message that was written in the same handwriting as the signature on the front of the card.

 

_To my beautiful wife,_

_Thank you for believing in me and giving me the strength to achieve my dream. You will always be my hero, and I hope to be yours for all time._

_Love, Kotetsu_

 

Kaede stared at the card, feeling tears start to build up in the corners of her eyes. “Dad…you’re Wild Tiger... Why didn’t you ever tell me? I mean I read what Mom said about keeping a secret until I was older… but why did you wait until now?” She looked up at her father, trying to keep her tears contained.

Kotetsu was looking down, "…I wanted you to stay safe, and I didn't want you worrying about me every time Hero TV came on like how my mom does. Being a teenager is hard enough to add that to your list of worries. Plus you always thought Wild Tiger was lame, and I wanted to be a cool dad…But know that in keeping it secret—I hated every lie I had to make up to keep my secret hidden…"

“Dad…” Kaede wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tightly. Keeping hold of the card and the letter. “Dad, I take back every mean thing I said about Wild Tiger! He’s not lame, you’re not lame!” She cried silently into her father’s chest. “I’m sorry Dad, I’m so sorry…”

Kotetsu hugged her close, "You know I could never be mad at you." He whispered into her hair, "You're my little girl." He let her stay silent for a bit before he spoke again, "You know… your mother was the one to choose my hero name."

“She was?” Kaede sniffed as she looked back up at Kotetsu. “She did a good job. It’s a cool name, not like any of the other heroes. Not that they aren’t cool! They’re all cool, just some more than others… So you’re Barnaby’s partner then, aren’t you?”

"Well, she also chose Rock Bison's name. That's your uncle Antonio. We became heroes together. And yes, Bunny—Barnaby's my partner." He nodded.

“Uncle Antonio is a hero too? Dad, why did you wait so long? Do you know how cool this is? I get to say my dad is a hero now instead of an insurance agent. Oh, Dad…” Kaede took a deep breath to calm herself, then leaned back against Kotetsu. “I don’t tell you this enough, Dad, but I love you.”

"Kaede, it'd be best if you don't tell people what I do. I wear a mask for a reason. If some bad guy with a grudge finds out who I am, they could go after you or Muramasa and your grandma. I don't know what I'd do if anything were to happen to you." He held her tighter.

“I won’t tell anyone… Can I tell my friends? I promise I’ll make them stay quiet about it!”

"I…am not sure, sweetie. I'd like it to stay in the family and with only those I work with."

She nodded slowly. “…Barnaby knows your real identity right? He knew you were Wild Tiger when he visited you in the hospital?”

"Yes, he knows who I am." He nodded.

“Does your boyfriend know?”

"…Yes, I work with him, so he knew before we got together."

"Wait, you're dating one of the heroes?! Dad, you need to tell me these things!" Kaede pouted slightly.

"You realize I work with more than just other heroes. I have a boss and there are the show producers, the legal department, the sponsors, and a whole lot more people who work with us heroes…but…you are right, he is another hero. That's why I wanted to tell you when he's around so that you'd believe me."

"Okay, I won't pry anymore. I'll wait to see who it is when he comes here." She smiled and sighed. "Well, Mom, you sure did leave a lot for me. Thanks." She kissed her hand and put it on the headstone over Tomoe's name.

"How about we eat lunch before we are rushed for time to get me to catch my train?" Kotetsu asked, holding out a sandwich for his daughter.

"Hold on, dad, I'm going to run use the restroom first."

"Want me to walk you down?"

"Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore. Plus I know where it is. I come here a lot to talk to mom."

"Alright, fine, be a big girl." Kotetsu chuckled, watching her hurry down the hill and following the path to the small building on the edge of the property that included a public restroom.

He sighed and turned back to his wife, carefully putting Kaede's music box and its contents away safely in their basket. "She's so much like you…"

He smiled and leaned back, "A lot has happened since my last visit…I'm not sure how much Kaede has told you, but I lost a leg. It'll be a while before I can return to hero work, but don't worry, I won't give up. I also fell in love again…with my partner. I never expected to, but I hope you are happy. I'll never forget you or stop loving you, but…he is bringing back some of that same warmth that you had brought into my life. I had forgotten what it felt like… He's a good man, Bunny is…he's saved Kaede when I was unable to and he's her favorite hero. I hope she is okay with me dating him, though. I'm not exactly sure how deep her admiration goes for him. I worry that she has a crush on him since she is at that age… I'm nervous and—"

A sudden scream cut through the peacefulness of the graveyard, and Kotetsu gasped, pushing himself up with some difficulties and grabbing his cane.

"Kaede!"

He knew running down the steep hill would be a bad idea, so he aimed his watch at a tree and shot out his wire, using it to swing himself down to the bottom of the hill, though his landing was rough and he fell. He was quick to push himself back up again, using his cane to help him limp as quickly as he could towards the restroom.

"Kaede?! Kaede!" He called out as he came upon the building, finding it completely empty and only the girl's cell phone lying upon the floor near the sink.

Kaede was gone.

* * *

To be continued…


	19. Chapter 19

Barnaby had not expected the call at the end of the weekend. He knew the number well enough to know it was a Kaburagi number, so he was instantly concerned for Kotetsu and his family. Barnaby answered the phone as quickly as he could, trying not to sound too desperate. “Hello?”

"Yes, hello? Is this Barnaby?" Asked the elderly but gentle voice of Kotetsu's mother.

“This is him.” Barnaby sat down before he got too excited.

"Oh good…Kotetsu's contact list is so confusing…" she seemed to sigh to herself, "I just wanted to call and tell you that Kotetsu won't be returning to Sternbild this evening as he'd planned…we have…a family emergency."

“Family emergency? Is everything alright, if you don’t mind me asking?”

"No…Kaede…Kaede has disappeared!"

“Kaede?! Oh my god, have the police been investigating it?” Barnaby stood up and put on his jacket then grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out of his apartment.

"Yes, yes of course." She nodded, "Kotetsu's so shaken, he called them and then us when he heard her scream and then he couldn't find her."

“God, I can’t believe that happened. I’m on my way to the train station right now to catch a train to you guys. I’ll be there to help as much as I can.” The blond climbed into his car and drove to the train station, hand grabbing the steering wheel tight. “Is Kotetsu near?”

"Yes, but he's talking to the police."

“Okay, tell him I’ll be there soon when you can. I want to help as much as I can. Kaede needs to be found soon. I promise, we will find Kaede and bring her home.”

He finally arrived at the station and parked his car, getting out and buying a ticket to Oriental Town.

 

* * *

 

"I was right there…" Kotetsu trembled, sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, "I was right there and I couldn't protect her. I should have insisted I walk her to the restroom…"

“It wasn’t your fault,” Anju said, rubbing her son’s back. “There was nothing you could have done to know she would be taken.”

Kotetsu took a deep, shaky breath, "I am supposed to be a hero and a father. I failed at both those things today…protecting my baby girl…"

“You didn’t know.” The old woman hugged Kotetsu tight. “… Barnaby is on his way here right now. He’ll be helping us.”

"Bunny is?" He glanced at his mother.

“Yes. He was getting on a train when I was talking to him on the phone. He should be at the station soon.”

He took another deep breath, "Tomoe and I…we told Kaede about Wild Tiger right before she was taken…"

“Oh dear…” Anju took a seat next to Kotetsu, running her hands through her hair.

Kotetsu’s phone came to life on the table again, Barnaby’s face showing up on the screen.

Kotetsu looked at it, letting it ring a few times before picking it up right before it would go to voicemail. "Bunny?"

“Kotetsu. Hey, how are you holding up?” Barnaby spoke in a calm tone.

"…I couldn't get to her in time…I heard her scream and then she was…gone…"

“Kotetsu, have someone come get me. I’m at the train station now. We’ll get this all fixed soon, I promise.”

"I'll…have my brother drive to get you." He nodded and hung up, getting up to go over to his brother, "Mind going to the train station to pick up my partner?"

Muramasa nodded. “You want to come along?”

"…Yeah." He nodded, "Thanks."

Together the brothers made their way to the train station. Muramasa drove over the speed limit, keeping a careful eye on Kotetsu. It took a little bit, but soon they were at the station. A certain blond waited on the platform for them, his eyes lighting up once he saw the van with the Kaburagi name on it. Muramasa put the van in park and got out.

Kotetsu followed his brother out, stumbling and having to grab the door for support as he climbed down before grabbing his cane and moving towards the blond, reaching out and immediately hugging him, burying his face in Barnaby's shoulder.

Barnaby hugged Kotetsu tight, stroking his hair slowly. “I’m here. I’m here to help. We’ll find her, I promise.”

"She's just a little girl…somebody just took my baby girl…"

“I know, I know. We’re going to find her and we’ll bring her back home to you.”

"First your parents, then my baby…what's going on, Bunny?"

“I wish I knew, Kotetsu. I really do.” Barnaby kissed the top of Kotetsu’s head gently.

Kotetsu took a shaky breath and looked up at him, "Let's go back to the house. The police are going to report back to us there if they find anything."

“Yes, let’s go try to relax. It’s not doing us any good worrying about this too much.” He led Kotetsu back to the van, nodding at Muramasa before getting into the van.

They traveled back to the Kaburagi home, Barnaby holding tightly to Kotetsu all the way back, and then holding his hand as they entered the home. The blond sat Kotetsu down, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll make you something to drink. Is tea okay?”

Kotetsu nodded and sighed, rubbing his face, his eyes moving to his daughter's phone sitting on the end table still. He reached out and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. He pushed the button and the camera screen popped up right away. Suddenly curious, he  poked the button in the corner that he hoped would take him to the photo gallery. He was greeted with plenty of pictures Kaede had taken of herself and friends. But the newest photograph was different, blurry and oddly shaped. It didn't look like the normal pictures Kaede took with the phone. He poked it to make it bigger and gasped, standing up too quickly and falling back onto the couch.

"Bunny!"

Barnaby returned to Kotetsu’s side. “What is it?”

"Look!" Kotetsu turned the phone around showing the blurry picture. It showed a person reaching towards the girl who had taken the picture a tattoo showing on the person's neck.

"…Ouroboros…" Kotetsu whispered.

“I don’t believe it…” Barnaby held back a growl as he gripped the couch. “Kotetsu… I have a feeling these kidnappings are linked. I just hope that Kaede is with my parents. She’d be safer like that.”

"…I don't feel too good…" Kotetsu admitted, looking pale.

Barnaby saw the way Kotetsu looked and ran to grab a trash can. He set it in front of the man. “It’ll be okay, Kotetsu. We’ll find her.”

"I'll never forgive anyone who hurts her." He growled, gripping the bin.

“Easy, Tiger, easy…” Barnaby rubbed Kotetsu’s back in slow circles.

"If…they are connected…what's to keep us grounded? I—I was keeping you grounded but now it's so personal for us both…"

“We’ll find Kaede and my parents. And whoever took them will get what’s coming to them.”

Kotetsu slowly looked up at Barnaby, "But why? Why take Kaede? Your parents are probably being used for their profession, probably being forced to make those killer robot things that attacked the city…but Kaede? She's just a child…Not even a NEXT as far as we know…"

“She’s probably being used for bait. Ouroboros probably wants us just as much as they want my parents.”

"Then they should have taken me! I was there, too! Unprepared and still getting used to my new leg. I'd be an easy target so why not take me? Why take my little girl?"

“I wish I could tell you, Kotetsu.” Barnaby wrapped his arms around Kotetsu and hugged him. “I really wish I could tell you why they took her and not you.”

"Given a choice, I would have gone willingly…"

“You weren’t given that choice unfortunately. I’m sorry, Kotetsu.” The blond stood back up and sighed. “I’ll finish making your tea. I’m sure you want a little.”

Kotetsu nodded but stopped Barnaby by grabbing his sleeve, "…Thank you…for coming…"

“You’re welcome, Kotetsu.” He smiled and stole a quick kiss from the older hero before returning to the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

"Let go let go! Your hands are filthy and sweaty and gross and my dad's going to beat you up so bad for this! You just wait! MMM!" a young girl's voice shouted, muffled through the door to the chamber the Brooks couple was being held captive in. Not long after the door was unlocked and a large, rough looking man with a tattoo on his neck entered with Kaede in his arms, hand over her mouth.

"You talk too much, brat."

The girl glared, biting down hard, making the man yelp.

Emily and Barnaby Sr. looked up from their spot on the floor and saw Kaede bite the man’s hand. Neither dared to make any sort of reaction, but they were surprised to have a new visitor, though her arrival had been dreaded. It meant the two weren’t working hard enough, so Wild Tiger’s daughter had been taken No doubt the poor father was terrified beyond belief.

Kaede was roughly shoved onto one of the cots and the man turned to leave, only to have the girl attack him, pulling his hair and hitting. He turned, smacking her hard and sending her tumbling back, "You're making it real hard for me to keep you alive, brat. I'm only following orders. Take it up with the boss when he comes in to see you."

Emily gasped at Kaede being hit, and she moved over to where the girl was, scooping her into her arms carefully. The woman paid no attention to the man finally leaving.

"No!" Kaede pulled back before realizing the woman's touch was gentle and she paused to look up at her, "…Who are you?"

“I’m Emily Brooks.” She smiled kindly at Kaede, brushing away some of her hair from her face. “How are you feeling? You didn’t bump your head too hard, did you?”

"Wait…Barnaby's mom?" Kaede's eyes widened. The woman did look a lot like Barnaby…but why was _she_ there with Barnaby's missing mother?

“Yes, that’s me. And that is my husband, Barnaby Senior.” She gestured to the man coming up behind her. “We… were hoping we didn’t have to see you until we got out of here.”

"…What's going on?" She asked, eyes wide, "I—Dad and I were visiting Mom's grave and suddenly…why? I'm just me!"

“We don’t exactly know… but we’re hoping to be out of here soon. Though right now… things are looking dull.” She sighed and shook her head, helping Kaede sit up properly.

Kaede played nervously with her bracelet and looked around, "…I want my dad…"

“I know, sweetie. It must be scary to suddenly be away from him. But it’ll be alright. Barnaby and I are here to protect you.” Emily gave Kaede a quick hug, much like she always did to her son. “We won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

The girl looked between the couple and bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. "I…imagined Barnaby to look more like his dad, but he looks more like you…"

“Yeah, Junior really is a mama’s boy,” Sr. chuckled. But he’s just as tough as his dad. He’s a fair mix of the both of us.”

“Absolutely.” Emily saw Kaede’s building tears and whipped them away. “We heard that you were saved by our son once.”

She nodded, "I slipped on the ice and he got me before I was crushed…I've been a huge fan of his ever since."

"He's very good at his job. I'm glad he loves it. We didn't see him being a hero when he was very little, trying to copy Wild Tiger's poses and attacks. I actually lost a few good vases because of that... Of course that was after he was sick..." Emily took a deep breath, keeping calm in front of Kaede.

Kaede blinked, "He tried copying Wild Tiger?"

"Oh yes, all the time! Even as he was going to bed, he'd pretend to be Wild Tiger, catching the bad guys before he crashed into the mattress. Simple times, they were back then. Oh, if only we could go back and do it all again."

"Then he…was a fan of my dad? Oops!" She slapped a hand over her mouth, "I'm not supposed to tell people that!"

Emily and Sr. chuckled slightly. "Oh, don't worry," Sr. said with a wide smile. "We've known about you and your father. Your secret is safe with us."

"Really? Did Barnaby tell you?"

"We've known, oh, since you were born I think? Since we worked with Topmag for the longest time, we got word that your father had a baby, and that baby was you." Emily smiled at the girl. "But yes, Barnaby did tell us about you and your father."

The girl flushed, "I actually only just found out my dad is Wild Tiger…I was really shocked."

"Really? Sweetie, you should have known much earlier in your life."

"You really don't know my dad, then." The girl laughed.

"Well, keep in mind."

"He likes to keep to himself. Especially after Mom died. It was really, really hard on him but he's finally healing now!"

“That’s good to hear. Your poor father has been through enough heartbreak in his life.” Emily stood up, holding her hand out to Kaede to help her up. “Are you hungry any? We have a little food to spare.”

The girl nodded, "That jerk with dirty hands grabbed me right before Dad and I were going to have lunch…"

“Well that was quite rude. Here.” She handed the girl a piece of bread. “Sorry, it’s not much, but we don’t get much to eat down here in the first place. Honestly, I don’t know how they expect us to work when we’re being starved.”

"What are they trying to make you do?" the girl asked.

"…Develop a robot. A purely functional war machine that looks completely human. Originally they were supposed to be assistants. A tool to help take care of the sick and elderly. Provide life support and make life saving judgments when the doctors and nurses weren't there should something happen as a call is put out to the doctors and nurses to have them come quickly. The idea to make them look human was to provide a better level of comfort. It was a project of a lifetime…but now…Prototype Cis is being twisted into a thing of killing…" Sr. sighed, gesturing to the work bench where a mechanic figure lay. Her body completely robotic, but her face a soft, gentle looking young woman with pinkish, almost white hair.

“We’re trying our best not to make her have a violent personality. It really isn’t very good for her to be displayed in that way if she is supposed to help people.” Emily leaned against her husband with a sigh.

"She looks sweet…and they want to make her evil?"

“Well, use her as a weapon, not a helper, more like.”

"Isn't that the same thing?" the girl asked.

“In a sense, yes. Cis is programmed to be a helper, but we are being forced to change it to make her a weapon. We never wanted our work to be used for the wrong reasons.”

The girl nodded, "My dad has one of your legs you developed. It's helping him relearn to walk faster, though he's having difficulties with his balance still. I can't imagine you wanting to make something that'll hurt people after seeing how Dad's new leg works."

“Is he liking it? It's one of the best.”

"Barnaby had it customized for Dad. I think he likes it but he misses his old leg."

“It’ll take some time to get used to, but the design helps to make it feel as normal as possible.”

"Do you think my dad can get used to it enough where he can return to being Wild Tiger?"

“Of course, sweetie. He’ll be perfectly capable of performing as a hero again in no time at all. That leg of his was designed for comfort and quick recovery.”

"Good…he loves his job and Mom and I are both very proud that he is a hero. I hope he and Barnaby finds us soon…I managed to snap a picture of that man that grabbed me on my phone and I left it behind for my dad to find. I hope it helps."

“Ah, you’re a cleaver girl. There’s something not to be toyed with under that sweet shell of yours.” Sr. chuckled and winked at Kaede. “Maybe you can help us some.”

"Really? The girl perked up, "Do you have a plan to get out of here? Or to help Dad and Barnaby find us? I want to help!"

Emily chuckled, "Oh I like you."

“As a matter of fact, we have sort of a plan. We need a way of communicating to Barnaby or your father through their hero helmets. We get in on that radio wave, we can let them know where we are and what is happening to us.”

"You know where we are? They put a smelly old bag over my head the whole ride from the cemetery to wherever here is…"

"Well, we don't know exactly where but we do know we are still in or close to Sternbild." Emily sighed, "A man we had trusted for years is responsible for all this, and he comes here sometimes which means we can't be too far from the city."

“I still can’t believe what he did to our son… Maverick is a right bitch for what he did.” Sr. covered his mouth with an apologetic look. “Pardon my language.”

"To your son? To Barnaby? But Barnaby looked fine last time I saw him on TV…"

"Not recently…when he was a little boy younger than you are now, sweetie." Emily sighed, "We thought Barnaby was just a sickly boy where the doctors didn't know what was wrong with him, but it turns out that those years…it had been the man we worked with and trusted conducting some sort of NEXT experiments on our baby."

“Barnaby’s Hundred Power isn’t his true power, as it turns out. His actual powers have yet to awaken, and we don’t know if it’ll be harmful to him, if he’ll have two powers, or end up with one or none.” Sr. stuck his hands in his pockets. “If only we had watched him more often… maybe this all wouldn’t have happened.”

"Now Barnaby, you wouldn't let me blame myself the other day, so what makes you think you can blame yourself now? We can't turn back time. Maverick did this, not you. We couldn't always watch him ourselves. And sometimes Samantha would have time off so Maverick offered to watch our boy. We had no idea what he was doing, and our son always seemed happy…"

“I wish our son would have told us what was happening to him though, even if Maverick had told him to stay quiet about it. Maybe we could have prevented his illness.”

"That's not the case," Emily shook her head, "Haven't you noticed? He says things that seem…off. That hint that he's a NEXT with powers to mess with the mind or memory of others. Like how he keeps saying you and I won't remember this when we finish our work… I think he or someone who works for him can steal memories from people or something."

“Huh…” Barnaby Sr. leaned against the wall, rubbing his chin. “I guess he has been saying those things a lot. I wonder if he really intends to have our memories tampered with in the end.”

"I'm not willing to wait and see. Which is why we need to get our message out…even if it means…reprogramming Cis the way Maverick wants us to…"

“Em, we can’t! We’d ruin all that we’ve worked so hard for.”

"We can back her original programming up. But he'll know if something isn't right with her programming. She could be our only chance. If Cis is sent out there, no doubt the heroes will end up fighting her. Barnaby and Tiger will pick up on the secret message she'll be broadcasting and we can include a failsafe and tell them how to shut her down quickly before too much damage is done. I don't like making her into something harmful, either, but how else can we get our message out to Barnaby?"

Sr. was silent for a bit, then sighed heavily. “We’d better get to work on Cis then. Our message needs to get out as soon as possible.”

Emily gave a small nod, "I'll…get a backup going of her current programming."

"…What should I do?" Kaede asked.

“You can help with the message that we want to send out. I think you can come up with a good message that describes everything that’s happened, right?” Sr. smiled at Kaede as he moved to get a piece of paper and a pen.

"I…I think so…I'll try my best!" The girl nodded, taking the pen and paper.

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." He patted her head lightly before moving over to his wife, who was standing next to Cis.

Emily shook her head, "I hate doing this… But it's the best way I can think of…"

"It's our only hope, Em. I hate doing it as much as you do." He wrapped an arm around the woman. "But it'll get us back to our son, and Kaede back to her father. We can't let this fail."

"I just hope no one gets hurt because of this…" she sighed, hooking up a spare hard drive and beginning the backup of all their hard work to make Cis a lifesaving medical assistant.

Moments later the clicks and clanking of the door being unlocked sounded in the chamber, Maverick stepping through and the door closing behind him.

Kaede looked up and gasped, "You—you're that old guy who was at the hospital when my dad got his prosthetic!"

“Indeed, I am, young lady.” Maverick gave her a smile that made the Brooks’ stomachs churn. “I want to apologize for your treatment from earlier. The man I sent to get you wasn’t having the best day. I can assure you, you’ll be treated far better by me and the rest of my men.”

"I don't want to be treated at all by you or your men! I want to go back home to my Dad and Grandma!"

“I’m afraid that isn’t an option at this time. You have to stay here until the Brooks are done with their little project.”

She crossed her arms, "Why? I have nothing to do with any of this! I'm just a girl trying to get all my homework done on time!"

“Think of it this way, when you don’t get your homework done on time, you get punished. The same is happening with the Brooks right now. They aren’t doing the work I want them to do, so they are punished with knowing you have been taken away from your father.”

"Why would that matter? You're punishing my dad and he doesn't deserve it! He's having a hard time already!"

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. Your father has part of his memory whipped because he found out too much. If you don’t behave and shut your mouth, young lady, you’ll end up with the same condition.”

Kaede's eyes widened, "You—you're a NEXT?" She asked, remembering what Emily had said.

“Indeed, I am.” Maverick glanced up at Emily and Barnaby Sr. “All three of you will forget however as soon as the robot is completed. Now don’t waste any more time and get to work on your project.”

Kaede glared at him, "My dad's going to get you for this!"

“Oh, I highly doubt that. In fact, I don’t think he’ll remember a lot of things after this.” Maverick stepped forward and grabbed Kaede’s chin. “And I suggest you quit trying to come up with a message to send out, or your daddy will forget you even exist.” He gave one last smirk before Kaede bit down on his tattooed hand hard.

"Don't you tell me what to do! Besides, I happened to have been working on homework because my dad's going to find me real quick! See? It's a poem for writing class! Stupid smelly old guy."

Maverick scowled and yanked the bracelet off the girl's wrist, "Oh I doubt that he'll come close. Not when he receives this little charm in the mail to distract him in the completely wrong direction. The idiot's too naïve to think that it's anything more than a ransom kidnapping." He sneered before leaving the room, the three captives alone once more.

"Your threats contradict themselves! Just stick to one you ugly idiot!"

Emily leaned against her husband with a dismal look. “I hope our son can figure out the truth…Something big is about to happen, and I don’t like the way things are looking now.”

He held her close, "…I know…"

There was a moment of silence before the woman moved over to Kade, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Kaede, we need this message written out quickly. It doesn’t need to be lengthy, just hit the major details. Barnaby,” Emily continued, turning to her husband. “We start getting serious about this now. I don’t care if we have to work through the whole night and then some. We are getting Cis and our message out of here tomorrow.”

"I—I was making it a poem to hide it from the old guy. Plus dad knows I'm struggling with a poem for class so I thought it'd really grab his attention, even if it's bad…"

“Very cleaver,” Sr. stated. “You’re a smart girl, you know that? Ah, if only you had any NEXT powers. You’d make a great hero, I can tell, especially with your father being Wild Tiger.” He moved closer to Cis and picked up a clip board. “Alright Em, let’s get to work.”

Hours later, Kaede shared with Emily her poem.

 

_Memories may be fleeting as the darkness get's its way,_

_An army of inhuman soldiers clearing the path,_

_To the complete destruction of everything held dear._

_One chance, a failsafe your parents taught you_

_Before your jewel can be found,_

_Search the dark of the city after taking her down._

 

* * *

To be continued…


	20. Chapter 20

Kotetsu sighed, sitting on the edge of Kaede's bed, looking down at a picture of her. "I hope you aren't too scared, baby girl… Daddy'll find you…Promise. I have Bunny doing computer things to that clue you left us, trying to find a lead more than that tattoo…"

Barnaby was still at the Kaburagi’s place, working from their main computer on finding clues as to where the Ouroboros-marked man came from, and who the man might have been. Searching was made a little difficult, as many neighbors and friends came over to express their sorrows and prayers, to which Barnaby never really cared much of.  Every time someone would come over, he would have to stop and hide his work for safety reasons, and because the sites and programs he was working with were top of the line security programs. If the wrong person’s hands were to land on the programs, the whole project would be a disaster.

Of course, as it happened to be, another neighbor had dropped by while Kotetsu was in Kaede’s room. The blond closed all the windows he had up quickly and put the computer to sleep, locking it up in the process. Leaving the new guest to the company of Anju and Muramasa, Barnaby headed to the girl’s room, knocking on the door to catch Kotetsu’s attention.

"Have you found anything?" Kotetsu asked, looking up.

“Not much. I’m getting closer though.” The blond moved into the room and sat next to Kotetsu. “But I can’t work very well with people always coming in.”

"Sorry…small town so word gets around fast…" He sighed and shook his head, "I'm so worried I can barely think… It's been a few days and the police have no new leads…"

“I know. I’m trying my hardest, Kotetsu.” Barnaby put and arm around the older man and sighed. “I’m trying very hard.”

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Kotetsu slipped his arms around his young boyfriend, "I know you are just as desperate to find your parents…"

“Your daughter is more important. We have to find her and make sure she’s alright.”

"They are all most important…but I do hope that they are together and finding one finds them all." He pulled back and looked up at him, "…I want to introduce you to her as my boyfriend…I want you to introduce me to your parents as yours."

“I want us all to be together when we tell them about us. I…I want us to be together for a long time.” Barnaby flushed a little as he grabbed Kotetsu’s hand and rubbed his thumb over it.

"I just want everyone safe…" Kotetsu sighed, resting his cheek on Barnaby's shoulder, "My family, yours…I want those responsible for this behind bars…"

“I do too.” The blond leaned his head on Kotetsu’s.

Kotetsu pulled them closer together.

“Have you slept much?” Barnaby stroked Kotetsu’s hair slowly, listening slightly to the conversation coming from the front of the house.

He shook his head, "I can't…I end up just laying there worrying…"

“You should try to sleep some then. I know it’ll be hard, but you’re going to exhaust yourself if you don’t.” Barnaby nuzzled Kotetsu’s neck lightly. “I don’t want you passing out on me, okay?”

"I'll sleep later." Kotetsu said stubbornly.

“No, you sleep now. I’ll even stay with you until you fall asleep.” He stood, taking hold of Kotetsu’s hand to pull him up.

"I'll feel useless if I sleep…"

“You’ll be useless if you don’t sleep. You need to take care of yourself, Kotetsu, and sleeping is important at this point.”

Right as Barnaby finished talking, there was a louder voice coming from the front of the house, asking if Kotetsu was around. The voice belonged to Albert Maverick, and the way the man was speaking was chilling to Barnaby. He shuddered a little. “It sounds like sleep may have to wait.”

"I won't be able to, anyway…" Kotetsu sighed, grabbing his cane and moving to the door, "I just need to bring my baby back safe. I know you understa—whoa!" Kotetsu caught himself on the door as he lost balance slightly from sheer lack of proper rest.

Barnaby’s hand reached for Kotetsu’s hips instinctively. “Kotetsu, be careful, Christ! Let’s make it to the front of the house without falling, please?”

"It's not my fault, I'm still not completely used to this new leg, and I've fallen behind on my exorcizes and raining for it…"

The blond sighed and removed his hands slowly. “Let’s just go see what Maverick wants, then you’re going to bed.” He guided Kotetsu into the living room where they met with Maverick.

The older man looked burdened with something, certainly not happy in the slightest. Or so he seemed. “Kotetsu… how are you holding up? Physically and emotionally?”

"Ah," Kotetsu couldn't even fake a smile to brush it off, turning his head away and shaking it, "Not too good…" he sat down in a chair and sighed, "I feel like I had when my wife was hospitalized and the doctors said it was terminal…"

“I’m sorry to hear that… and I suppose the news I come with today won’t be of much help either. Your daughter left something behind further along her captor’s suspected trail, near the ocean.” Out of his pocket, he pulled the silver bracelet with the blue and gold beads. He offered it to Kotetsu. “It was found in the sand, so it leads us to believe that she was taken to another country, if it is indeed your daughter's. It very well may be the same place Barnaby’s parents have been taken.”

Kotetsu's eyes widened, recognizing the last gift his wife had given to their daughter. Reaching out, he took it with trembling fingers. "It—it's hers…" He brought it to his lips, a tear running down his cheek.

Muramasa frowned, "How would you have it? You aren't part of the police force."

“I am working with the police to try and find your brother’s daughter. I hardly think now is the proper time to be asking why I had possession of the bracelet though. Whatever you might be thinking about me, it’s wrong.”

"I'm thinking you are the president of OBC, not an investigator. Yet you show up alone with my niece's bracelet not even in an evidence bag, without a single cop to back up that you are helping them. My niece's life is on the line so I think it's the perfect time to question the facts I see presented."

Maverick sighed and pushed up his glasses. “Mr. Kaburagi, all the evidence that could be taken from this bracelet has been recorded, and the police saw it fit to return it to the girl’s father. Nothing more needs to be questioned about it.”

The stubborn older brother crossed his arms, "I'm still questioning you. My brother's too emotionally compromised to question suspicious things so I'm doing it for him. I appreciate that you helped get him that new leg of his, but you have to admit that this seems a bit questionable."

“How is it questionable? I’ve been helping ever since Barnaby’s parents went missing, so why should my actions be questionable now?”

"What results have you brought to the Brooks case? What results can you bring to our case? You run TV shows, not a detective business. I haven't even seen any news on the Brooks case at all apart from the initial 'Missing after a fire'. Story on OBC News. Why not keep the public reminded so people can report any tips if they see something?"

“The people of Sternbild are not to be put in danger or panic during these stressful times. It’s best that the reminders about the cases be spread out. Besides, the newspapers and tabloids keep up to date with things quicker than OBC does.” Maverick straightened his tie and cleared his throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just came to drop off the bracelet. I shall see you all again soon.” With that, Maverick turned on his heel and left the home.

"There's something I don't like about that man…" Muramasa grumbled.

“Mr. Maverick is helping out as best as he can,” Anju said quietly as she moved over to Kotetsu. “We have to trust him right now. He’s giving us our best leads.”

"Leads? What leads? The ocean? Do you realize how many countries she could have been taken to, Mom? That didn't narrow the search, it broadened it."

“Well, it certainly eliminated the possibility of her being in the city.”

“No…” Barnaby butted in, and hand squeezing Kotetsu’s shoulder and eyes wide. “I saw the tattoo. He tried to hide it from me. He knew it wouldn’t be recognized by you two, but he wasn’t expecting to see me here still.”

"Eh? Tattoo?" Kotetsu blinked. He'd been too distracted by his daughter's lost bracelet to notice much else.

“The Ouroboros tattoo. It was on his hand.” Barnaby looked up at Anju and Muramasa. “Kaede and my parents are still in the city. That bracelet didn’t have any signs of wear from sand, water, or sun on it. He lied to all of us just now.”

"…What do we do? He is one of the more powerful men in the city…" Kotetsu whispered.

“I don’t know, but I’m certain now, I never should have trusted that man.” Barnaby released his grip on Kotetsu and ran his hands through his hair. “But this doesn’t get us much further. All we have is a suspect, and the tattoo. We don’t know who that man was that took Kaede.”

Kotetsu gripped the bracelet, "…Have the police wanted and convicted felons files been searched yet for a match to that blurry picture?"

"I was just getting to it when we got company." Barnaby moved back over to the computer and unlocked it, then went to searching through he files.

"I'll help, I can—" Kotetsu stood up, and with a groan, he swayed on the spot before toppling over, Muramasa catching him.

"Idiot—I bet you didn't sleep when I told you to last night…" the man muttered at his unconscious little brother.

Barnaby looked back at Kotetsu, "Poor guy. I'll put him to bed." He got up with a sigh and moved over to Kotetsu, picking the man up in his arms and carrying him to his room. Barnaby made sure Kotetsu's sleeping mat was rolled out properly before laying him on it and covering him with a blanket. A small kiss was placed on the older man's forehead. "Sleep well, Kotetsu."

Barnaby returned to the living room and sat back at the computer chair. "Well, I did say he was sleeping after Maverick left. His body decided to do it on his own."

"He never takes care of himself…" Anju sighed, shaking her head and picking up the dropped bracelet.

"I hate seeing him like this. He's so distressed and worried that he can even sleep. His own body shut down on him."

"He did this when Tomoe got sick, too." Muramasa sighed, "He's good at taking care of others, but never himself…"

The man then looked to Barnaby, "…You are the boyfriend I heard about, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then…when you both return to the city, make sure he eats. Right now Mom forces him to, but…"

“I’ll make sure he eats. He won’t be starving himself while I’m around.” Barnaby nodded to the older man and sighed.

"Good." Muramasa sighed, "I can hardly blame him, though…"

“We’re both scared, Kotetsu and I. Our family is missing. I’m surprised how composed I actually am. I keep thinking I should be as upset as Kotetsu… but I’ve never experienced loss before. It has to be a hard thing.” Barnaby looked back towards Kotetsu’s bedroom, gaining a concerned look.

"Losing his wife nearly destroyed him." Anju sighed, "Having Kaede to care for and hero work to do, it was the only thing that kept him from falling too far into his own grief—and even then he suffers from depression and has developed a drinking problem. I fear if we do not bring Kaede home safe, it'll be too much for him and we'll have lost them both."

“I’m going to make sure I get Kaede back to you safely, as well as my parents. All three are top priority on my list, Kotetsu being a close second. I’ll take care of everyone in this family if that’s what it comes to, just to bring back Kaede and my parents.”

"Take care of each other." She shook her head, "Once the initial shock fades, Kotetsu will be right next to you, helping, and he cares about you. He'll make sure you are taking care of yourself, and in return, you do the same for him. Listen to each other if you are told to take a rest or go eat something."

“Yes, Ma’am.” Barnaby bowed in a way Kotetsu had seen before, hoping he wasn’t offending the family.

"Let us know if we can help you with anything." Angu sighed, patting the blond's cheek before going to the kitchen.

For the rest of the day, Barnaby worked on finding the man who kidnapped Kaede.  The search had been narrowed down to people who were close with Maverick, though none seemed to have the tattoo Barnaby was looking for. At least he was able to eliminate all those who he had looked at already.

Barnaby took a few more careful looks at the picture that was on Kaede’s phone. The man looked to have dark skin, so the blond filtered through suspects with that color of skin. Eventually the results were narrowed down to around 30. Further looking brought an idea to Barnaby’s mind as his vision settled on one man, a faded-looking dark spot on his neck. The face seemed too familiar from just looking at a single blurry picture, so Barnaby went deeper into documented archives until he came upon the surveillance cameras for the building his parents had been working in the night they disappeared. The spot he had constantly looked over popped onto his screen, and he scrolled through the footage until he saw the man he knew looked familiar.

There, staring right into the camera was the man his eyes had lingered on in the criminal profiles, and getting a better look at the picture on Kaede’s phone, it confirmed that this man who was with his parents the night of their kidnapping had also kidnapped Kaede.

Barnaby was so excited suddenly that he dropped the girl’s phone on the desk as he stood up and backed away from the computer. “I found him…”

Anju walked in with a plate of food for Barnaby, and she blinked at the blond, "Have you found something?"

He turned to look at her, eyes wide and determined. “We have our lead. I know who took Kaede, and my parents as well.”

"You confirmed it?" She asked, her eyes wide as she set down the plate of food.

“I have three different pictures in front of me,” he said, gesturing to all of them. “And they’re all the same person. We have someone to investigate now.” He sat back at the computer and pulled up the criminal file on the man. “It says here he was an escaped convict from the main prison in Sternbild, and he was caught recently snooping around an abandoned subway tunnel. According to this, he’s back in prison now.”

Barnaby stood back up and looked at Anju again. “Looks like he slipped up, and Maverick wasn’t too happy with him. He’ll be in prison for a while, so Kotetsu can get plenty of rest before we go talk to this guy.”

"Be careful, don't let that man realize you are onto him…he was there when Kotetsu lost his leg and some memories…he's obviously dangerous."

“I know, Ma’am. We’ll be very careful.” Barnaby quickly shut down every program he had been using and deleted them off the computer, then cleaned the computer’s memory of ever having the programs.

"Good, we don't need any more kidnappings or injuries. Now, eat your dinner."

“Thank you…” Barnaby grabbed his plate and moved to the couch, sitting alone staring at the TV and going over his thoughts. He’d have so much to tell Kotetsu when the man woke up.

* * *

To be continued…


	21. Chapter 21

Kotetsu grit his teeth as he and Barnaby pulled up to Sternbild City Jail and parked. He narrowed his gaze at the front doors, knowing that inside sat the man who had dared steal his daughter away from him.

"….Bunny…" Kotetsu looked at his partner, "…If he's harmed her I may not be able to control myself."

“Just take deep breaths and hold onto me if you need. We can’t let him stay quiet though.” Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu’s hand and squeezed it.

"Don't let me mess this up by getting us kicked out. Don't let me hit him. We need him to talk…"

“I won’t let him touch you, I promise.” He smiled and got out of the car, going around to the other side to let Kotetsu out. “Let’s go get some information.”

Kotetsu nodded and put on his mask before getting out, cane in hand. "…They'll probably make me leave my cane behind so you may need to make sure I don't tip over."

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall.” Barnaby chuckled slightly as he led the older man to the doors of the jail. “And I’ll see if I can get you to keep your cane, just so you don’t appear weak in front of the criminals.”

"They have rules on what can be taken back for a reason. If this guy gets it away from me, he could use it as a weapon." Kotetsu shrugged.

“Well he’ll probably be tied down or something before we get to him because we’re visiting. Don’t worry about it.” The doors opened and the two heroes stepped into the building. They moved up to the front desk, and Barnaby asked to see the person of interest. The officer nodded and showed them back to a visitation room.

Kotetsu was allowed to use his cane though required to leave it outside the room with an officer. Though there were chairs bolted to the floor on either side of the bolted down table in the room. Kotetsu limped in and took a seat as they waited for the man to be brought in for the visit.

Barnaby folded his arms, standing next to Kotetsu. They waited for about ten minutes before the officer came back, the person of interest behind him in cuffs. He was rather angry looking, and he glared at the two heroes, his tattoo clear on his neck.

The man was put into cuffs attached to the table and then the officer left, letting them know to knock on the door when they were done.

Kotetsu returned the man's glare, brows furrowing. "Where is my daughter?"

“Who’s your daughter,” the man snapped back. “I’ve kidnapped lots of little girls before.”

Kotetsu gripped the edge of the table between them, "You know which one's mine."

The man was silent for a bit, narrowing his eyes. “You’re that hero guy. Your daughter… she was the one with the bracelet.”

"That's right. What, was my mask not enough for it to click right away?" he sneered.

“I guess not.” He shrugged. “What did you wanna know about your daughter again?”

"Where is she, smartass? And if you have hurt her—"

“I don’t know where she is. I took her to the center of the city. And she was picked up there.”

"Where?" Kotetsu pressed, leaning forward.

“Hell, I don’t know!” The man lunged forward menacingly, hindered by the cuffs attacked to the table.

"Don't give me that! You know exactly where you left her!" Kotetsu reached out, grabbing his orange prison jumper in his fist, "She's what is most important to me and don't you think I won't force this information out of your scum mouth!"

“Kotetsu, relax.” Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu’s belt and pulled him back. “Let him go.”

“Listen to your boyfriend!” The man growled.

"You are in no place to be saying that! Tell me where you last saw my daughter and tell me who hired you to take her!"

“Kotetsu, sit down!” The blond yanked on Kotetsu’s belt harder.

Kotetsu was successfully pulled back into his seat, and he shot a glare at his lover.

“Control your man better, Blondie.” The man sat back again and folded his arms. “Look, I don’t know where your daughter is. The last time I saw her was in the subway in the center of the city.”

"Was she unharmed?" Kotetsu grumbled, his arms crossing over his chest.

“I don’t know. She was putting up a good fight, so I assume she was fine.”

"That’s my girl…" Kotetsu sighed, rubbing his eyes.

Barnaby rubbed Kotetsu’s back gently, looking up at the man. “Who hired you to Kidnap Kaede?”

"Think I'm stupid enough to tell? Nah, I'd rather stay in prison than die."

“You’ll die anyway. You’re in here for life, so I’m told. So tell us who hired you.”

The man laughed, "I always have a chance of escaping if I'm in jail. I've done it before, after all."

“I have a feeling you won’t be escaping anymore. You clearly slipped up, which is why you’re back here. Someone doesn’t want you back, so you step foot out of the prison, you’re as good as dead. Start talking.”

"Ouroboros is a lot more powerful than you think. Heh, you heroes are only pawns."

Barnaby lowered his eyebrows. “Alright, if you won’t talk, then we’ll go talk to Maverick. I’m sure he’ll have all our answers.”

"Ha! Don't make me laugh."

“What, it’s not like he cares for you anymore. You got found out, and he’s angry with you now. You’ll be killed soon after we talk to him.”

"No, _you_ will be killed."

"What makes you so sure? Maverick knows me well, so I can easily trick him, and my partner and I get out alive."

"You're a fool, just like your boyfriend."

"What subway did you leave my daughter at?" Kotetsu suddenly cut in.

“It doesn’t have a name. You won’t ever find it, no matter how hard you try.”

"Then give me the location!"

“I won’t! Maverick may find no more use of me, but I’m still defending him, my great leader of Ouroboros, which I’m sure you’ve figured that out already.”

"You think he's scary? You obviously don't know how an angry father with Hundred Power can get."

“No, I wouldn’t know. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to have powers even at all. I’m just a normal human, a former member of Ouroboros. “

"Want a sample of what I could do to you if you don't give me a location to start looking for my daughter?"

“Bite me!”

“Kotetsu.” Barnaby stood and pulled Kotetsu away from the table. “Hey, I know you’re angry and worried, but you have to control yourself, or you’ll be kick out of here without getting any answers.”

"She's just a little girl. She's scared and being forced away from home. The only comfort she has is possibly being with your parents, Bunny."

“You have to relax.” He grabbed Kotetsu’s shoulders and squeezed. “I know it’s hard. I’m having a hard time controlling myself too, but if you don’t relax, we won’t get what we need out of this guy.”

"He's infuriating…"

“I know. Try to not talk anymore, okay? Let me do all the talking, and I’ll get the information we need.”

Kotetsu sighed, crossing his arms and giving a small nod.

“Good boy.” The two heroes moved back to the table and sat down, the blond taking over the conversation. “Is there anything you can tell us about Maverick’s involvement in Ouroboros,” he asked the man in front of them.

"Only that he's one of the big guys. You can't touch him. I'd suggest giving up and just letting him have his way, Hero."

“Well, you know heroes well enough to know we won’t quit. What is his plan with kidnapping my parents and my partner’s daughter?”

"I ain't high enough to know the plan. I just do as I'm told. I was told to grab the girl, I grabbed the girl."

“And where did you take her to? Besides an unnamed subway. Was it a station you took her to?”

"Just save your jobs and let it happen."

“Did you take her to a station,” Barnaby asked again.

"I've told you all I have to say."

Barnaby nodded and stood up. “Alright.” He moved over to the door and knocked on it, the officer coming back in and taking the convict away.

"…Should have let me scare him…" Kotetsu grumbled as he was given back his cane and they were escorted back out.

“It wouldn’t have helped. But at least we know Maverick is for sure involved in this, and he did send that man to kidnap our family.” He sighed and rubbed Kotetsu’s back.

"And is responsible for what happened to me…I wonder what it was I heard or saw that caused him to have me attacked…"

“I have a growing suspicion it was you seeing Maverick when he wasn’t meant to be seen. I had sent you to go talk to him, after all.”

"But where do we start looking? We don't even know what stage to search…"

“So we search them all. It’s the only option we have at this point, but at least it’s something. Before we didn’t know where in the city to search at all.”

"It could still take weeks…even if we get other heroes to help…"

“We’ll make do. All we have to do is search stations that aren’t running. There isn’t a single running station that doesn’t have a name, so we have our search limited already.”

"Unless he lied…"

“Only one way to find out.” Barnaby smiled. “Come on, we’ve got some work to do now, and we have little time to do it, I feel.”

"I at least want to get Antonio to help. He's Kaede's godfather."

“We’ll get as much help as possible, but only those we can trust.” he promised.

Kotetsu nodded, "Think they will all be at the workout room?"

“At this time, most of them will be. We’ll get them all to help us.” Barnaby pulled Kotetsu into a hug and held him tight. “We’re going to find them soon, I can feel it.”

"I hope you are right…" Kotetsu sighed and nodded, "Let's go."

 

* * *

 

Barnaby Sr. was getting restless. The treatment of him, his wife, and Kaede had worsened, and it showed no signs of getting better. It made him really upset that he couldn’t do a thing about it. Their food supply had been shortened even more than it already had been, and water supply was cut back as well. All three were thinning and growing weaker, certainly not very good living conditions to work for the man who had kept them prisoner.

Kaede, being so young, was starting to feel it more than her idol's parents were, and she spent most of her time curled up on one of the cots in the corner, feeling very ill, and Emily had to force-feed her because the girl would insist that she 'wasn't hungry'.

Emily sighed after tucking Kaede in and returning to her husband's side, distracting him from his work to slip into his arms and rest her own exhausted head on his shoulder."

“How is she doing, Em?” Sr. held his wife close and kissed the top of her head.

"Not good." She sighed again and looked up at her husband, reaching up to touch his cheek, "She's…reminding me of Barnaby when he was younger…"

The man sighed, looking down at the floor. “Maverick is trying to kill us slowly. I hate watching this happen, especially to Kaede. It breaks my heart to see her so weak.”

"Is he? Or is he trying to weaken me because he knows I'm a NEXT, now? If I'm too weak to activate it I won't be a threat when he comes down, but he has to limit all our food because he knows we'd split it between us all."

“I don’t know, Em. But what he’s doing to all three of us isn’t ethical at all.”

"I will fight back when it comes down to it. I won't stand here and let him win after using us."

“I hope help comes fast. I don’t think any of us can take this much longer.” Sr. sighed, looking over at Kaede.

"We can't—certainly Kaede can't…"

“Our son is smart. He’ll be figuring everything out soon. I can feel it. Then he’ll come to our rescue.”

"I still want to try getting out on our own. I know you said it was dangerous, but the longer we wait here, the more dangerous it gets. Barnaby…If I just try shorting the panel on the door…tonight when there are fewer guards outside…"

“We might be able to sneak past and at least get Kaede out of here. She needs help quickly.”

"We'd have to only take what we have to. We can try to take something important to make sure Cis won't work for a while, but Kaede comes first."

“If we take Cis’s processing chip, we might be able to prevent her from doing anything for maybe a day. Her systems will start acting on their own then. We may have less time than that, so we’d better work quickly.”

Emily nodded, "You'll have to carry Kaede. I don't think she could handle getting out on her own and you have more upper body strength than me."

“Yes Ma’am.” He did a small salute to her with a smile.

"Barnaby…" She closed her eyes and pulled herself into his lips for a kiss, "No matter what, get her out of here and to someplace safe. Get her back to her family."

“I’m not going to leave you behind, Em. I’ll protect us all when we escape. We’ll be fine, as long as we stay smart.” He held her head in place, leaning down to kiss her back.

"With any luck, you won't have to. But I can't carry her out. If one of us needs to stay behind so she can be taken to safety… Just be prepared for that situation."

“I hope it won’t come to that. I love you.”

"I love you too." She whispered, brushing his long, messy hair out of his face, "…You need a haircut…"

“I believe that’s the least of our problems, dear.” Sr. chuckled lightly and hugged his wife.

"I'd rather focus on smaller problems…they feel more normal."

“I suppose you’re right. In that case, you need a shower,” Sr. teased.

Emily giggled, "Nah, my stink keeps unwanted creepy men away."

“Damn straight. No creepy men are getting around you any time soon.”

"None—except for you." She teased.

“I am not creepy!” The man rolled his eyes and put on a fake pouting face.

"Sure you are." She said, kissing under his jaw.

"How am I creepy?"

"Have you ever looked in the mirror early in the morning? Talk about a boogieman."

"Oh stop it." Sr. hugged Emily tight, kissing her cheek.

She smiled and looked at their creation, "…Do you need help removing the processing chip?"

“I would appreciate the help. Cis can be a bit tricky sometimes.”

"I'll help before resting up for tonight, then." She nodded, standing up off her husband's lap and moving around to get to work.

Sr. smiled and followed his wife, working with her to remove Cis’ processing chip before they both went to lay down for a little while. The man hoped their plan would work. It was very risky, and someone would notice that they were gone after a while. They would have to move quickly, but if they were smart, they could pull it off.

* * *

To be continued…


	22. Chapter 22

"One more!" Kotetsu insisted as he and his partner stepped out of a subway entrance where they had failed, once again, to find any leads in the underground of the city. It was very late; nearly three in the morning and both men were exhausted.

“Kotetsu, we’ve searched every abandoned subway station on the Bronze stage, and we still haven’t found any leads. I think we need to stop for the night and look elsewhere. Besides, I know all that pain medication isn’t helping your leg right now. We need to stop.” Barnaby put a hand on Kotetsu’s shoulder and squeezed it.

"Just…one more, please, Bunny…my gut is telling me one more…"

Barnaby sighed, knowing Kotetsu had been saying that all night. “I think your gut is tired of telling you just one more…But, if you really feel it’s true this time, we’ll go to one more.” He pulled out the map they had been looking at, shinning his phone’s flashlight on it to find another subway station to search.

Kotetsu limped over. His leg was hurting, but he was desperate to find his daughter. "Is this one?" he asked, pointing to a spot on the map. It was in a bad part of town often forgotten about by most citizens.

“I think so. It’s a little hard to make out, but I’m pretty sure that is another station. Let’s go find it.” Barnaby helped Kotetsu walk back to his car, travelling slowly so as to not miss the station. After about 20 minutes of searching, Barnaby hit the brakes, spotting the station from a few blocks away. He turned the lights off on his car, as well as the car itself. “Looks like that’s our destination.”

Kotetsu nodded, narrowing his eyes at the run down station. It was boarded up, graffiti covering nearly every inch and gang tags overlapping each other as territory wars over the years have caused the area to switch 'ownership'. It left a bad taste in Kotetsu's mouth to think his beautiful baby girl could be in such a place.

He was the first one out of the car; hobbling towards the entryway which would take them down under the city once more. A knot twisting in his stomach as he drew closer and saw a familiar symbol carved into the entryway frame. A snake eating its tail with a sword. He said nothing—he didn't have to. This was it. This was the one.

Dropping his cane, he grabbed at the boards, activating his powers so that he could rip them down and uncover the way inside.

“Kotetsu, be careful! Jeez…” Barnaby rushed to Kotetsu’s side, helping him tear back the boards until they had a space big enough for them to squeeze through.

"I'm fine—hand me my cane?" Kotetsu asked as he squeezed into the opening, his prosthetic leg getting caught on a board a few times before he was in. Getting out wouldn't be a quick and easy thing for him to do.

Barnaby handed Kotetsu his cane before crawling through the hole in the boards, following closely with his flashlight on a dim setting.

"Thanks, Bunny." Kotetsu said, leaning on his cane and kissing Barnaby's cheek before he started down the steps into the darkness.

“Careful…” Barnaby helped Kotetsu down the stairs, holding his arm until they finally reached the bottom of the abandoned station. He shone his light around the large area, looking for any suspicious holes or doors that might give them a lead.

"Trying to." Kotetsu sighed, shining his own light around the platform. "…Is it just me, or does it seem this place should be much dirtier for being abandoned?"

“It is a lot cleaner than the ones we have been in so far. Must mean we’re close.” Barnaby stepped forward, putting a hand in front of Kotetsu to have him stay back. “Let me go ahead a little, in case there are traps.”

Kotetsu frowned, "We go together. I don't want you getting hurt. Besides, right now we only have each other."

“You don’t need to get hurt any more than you already are. Let me search a little, and I’ll call you when it’s safe.” Barnaby gave a reassuring smile before leaning back and kissing Kotetsu lightly. He started moving forward, moving his light all around him so he didn’t miss any possible traps.

"I'm not hurt, I'm part cyborg now."

“Kotetsu, please.” The blond rolled his eyes as he kept looking around. After a few minutes, Barnaby decided it was safe to the point he was at, and he turned to his partner. “Alright, you can come over to me.”

"You don't have to protect me, you know." The older hero said as he approached, "How about we take turns at this?"

“Are you sure? Don’t take more than you can handle.”

"I'm sure. I may move slower than you, but I'm still a hero. Let me prove to us both I can still be a good partner to you."

“Alright. Just don’t push it.” He stepped back a little, letting Kotetsu move forward.

"Thank you."

The two pushed forward in the dark, taking turns leading the way down the tracks until finally they came upon a door carved out of the cement walls.

"…This way, I guess?" Kotetsu whispered.

“I would guess so. It seems like our only choice at this point.” Barnaby moved and tugged on the door, grunting a little as it seemed to be stuck. It gave way after a little force, but it caused more noise than both men would have liked. It opened up to another long and dark tunnel, but at the end they could see a dim glow of yellowed lights.

"…Someone's probably down there." Kotetsu thought out loud.

“Only one way to find out.”

Kotetsu nodded and took Barnaby's hand. "Together."

Barnaby nodded as he took the lead once more, heading cautiously towards the glow with his own flashlight shining down at his and Kotetsu’s feet.

"Kaede…Daddy's coming." Kotetsu whispered towards the light, gripping his cane handle tighter as he pressed forward by the dim flashlight light. "Wait just a little longer."

The closer they got to the light, the more anxious Barnaby became. He didn’t like how the tunnel they were in continued to get smaller as the light grew brighter. The tight space didn’t sit well with the blond.

“I think we’re getting close,” He said once the end of the tunnel was within sight. “Looks like it’s guarded.”

"I hear something." Kotetsu muttered, "Like an electric buzz?"

“Electricity. Maybe, could it be a power plant? I wouldn’t think they’d have those underground.” Barnaby leaned up against the wall, hearing something shuffling close to them.

In the distance shouting started up, though it took a moment before the two heroes could make out the words.

"STOP THEM!"

"RUN! BANRABY, RUN!"

"DON'T GIVE UP, EM!"

Kotetsu's eyes widened, "Bunny..."

Barnaby lurched forward was he ran towards the familiar voices. His heart was hammering in his chest. “Mom! Dad!”

There was a pause before Sr.'s voice shouted, "Barnaby? Son! Get your mother! I can't--I have Tiger's daughter, she stayed behind to distract the guards!"

"K-Kaede?" Kotetsu sped up as much as he was able.

“Get Kaede and Kotetsu out of here! Get them to safety.” Barnaby ran past his father and to the guards who seemed to be struggling with Emily. The young blond activated his Hundred Power and launched himself at the guards.

Emily was glowing, sparks crackling in the air around her, though she was looking weak and exhausted. Despite that, when she spotted her son, her eyes widened, "Barnaby..."

“I’m here to help, Mom. Let me take these guys out.” He threw a punch at the guard next to him, knocking the man to the ground in the one blow with his Hundred Power.

Emily sent one last jolt of electricity into the guard holding her before she fell to her knees. "...I knew you'd find us." she smiled, panting as she watched her son.

With Barnaby’s power, the guards were at least knocked down long enough for them to escape. “Come on, Mom. Let’s get out of here quickly before those guards can catch us.” He helped her stand up, but he ended up carrying her as he ran away as fast as his power could let him.

"I'm proud of you." she sighed, relaxing in his arms.

“I wasn’t going to let you stay behind fighting. Dad took Kaede and Kotetsu out, I hope.” Barnaby backtracked the way he and Kotetsu had traveled through the abandoned station, not caring if he set off traps or alarms. All he was focused on was getting outside safely with his mother, and hope that the other three had gotten out safely as well.

 

* * *

 

"I'm going back. Stay here in the car with Kaede." Kotetsu said. He'd showed Barnaby's father to the car and got them situated and checked to make sure his daughter would be alright. The girl was weak and sleeping, but otherwise unharmed. But Barnaby had yet to catch back up with them, and he was worried about his partner.

“Barnaby told me to get you out of there, and I’m not letting you go back. It’s way too dangerous. Your daughter needs your attention anyways. She’s too weak at this point to not be with her father.” Sr. crossed his arms as he looked Kotetsu straight in the eyes. “You go back and you’ll be killed. Your daughter and Barnaby wouldn’t like that very much.”

"I just got my daughter back; I won't lose my partner when I can help him. He's going in for your wife, right? I know you don't want to lose her or your son."

“You’re right, but I’m prepared for the worst. If it comes down to it, I’m willing to go on alone. But I know my son’s strengths, and I know he’ll be just fine, especially if he went back for his mother. You will only be in the way, and you know it. Stay here with Kaede. She might wake soon.”

"I lost my wife--I'll never get her back. I—I can't lose Bunny. I've...I've fallen in love with him..."

“Oh?” Sr. perked up a bit and smiled. “Well, if you love him, you’ll stay here until he gets back. You know that’s what he’d want you to do.”

"He knows I'm not the waiting type..."

“Give him a little time. As I understand it, you asked him to wait before you gave him a positive answer on if you wanted to actually date him. Give him time to prove he’s worth the wait.”

From inside the station, there were loud shouts, some gun shots even, that could be heard at the car. Sr. swallowed hard, biting back his fear.

"...I--I have to..."

“Kotetsu, wait for him.”

The shouting and gun shots got louder, but it could clearly be seen that someone was escaping, and that someone was Barnaby, running as fast as his legs could carry him with his mother in his arms.

Kotetsu opened the car door and ran out to him, "Bunny! Over here! Car's ready!"

Barnaby spotted Kotetsu and ran right to him, slipping into the car quickly and shouting at his father to hit the gas pedal. Sr. did as he was instructed, and the car lurched forward just as Kotetsu barely crawled back in and bullets peppered Barnaby's taillights as they escaped, but the shots became less frequent the further they got away from the station. Barnaby panted heavily, holding his mother close.

"Hospital! Get to the hospital!" Kotetsu suddenly gasped, spotting a growing red spot on Emily's shirt as the woman gasped painfully.

“On it.” Sr. sped up, his one destination the hospital to save those he loved.

Barnaby looked down at Emily, tears in his eyes as he got to see her face once more in what felt like years to him. His hand gingerly ran across her cheek. “Hang in there, Mom…”

Emily only shook her head and smiled up at her son, "I'm proud of you…" Her fingers were cold as she touched his face.

Barnaby could only smile; afraid he might break down if he tried speaking again. The hospital came up quickly, and having already been notified by phone that they would be arriving very soon, doctors came out as soon as the car pulled up and rushed to take Emily and Kaede away.

"You should be looked at too." Kotetsu told Sr. before hurrying after the doctors who had taken his daughter. She wasn't going into surgery like Emily was, so they had allowed him to follow as long as he didn't get in the way. The girl was starving and weak, and they hooked her up to a drip that would pump nutrients into her until she was strong enough to eat properly once more. Leaving her father sitting at her bedside once they were done and monitoring her condition.

Emily, however, had taken a bullet in the back and her treatment was much longer as they fished out the bullet and stopped the bleeding before stitching her back up together hours later. The whole time both the Barnabys in her life waiting for news on her condition.

Sr. had also been given a drip like Kaede's and a plate of food as he was stronger and more able to feed himself, but he was under orders not to wander too far as he was still a patient.

Finally, as early morning light finally started hitting the windows of the waiting room, the doctors came out to allow the two men to see Emily.

Barnaby and Sr. followed the doctors to Emily’s room, sleepy still from the few hours of rest they managed to get. Barnaby was the first to enter the room, choking back his tears when he saw the tubes hooked up to his mother. He rushed to her side, gently taking her hand while Sr. moved to the other side of the bed.

Emily was asleep, as the doctor had warned them she would be before allowing them inside.

Seeing his mother in such a state broke Barnaby’s heart. If only there had been some way to prevent it all from happening, maybe he could have saved her, his father, and Kaede. If only he had been with them the night they were taken…

His father looked over at him, "…Your mother is stronger than the both of us. She'll pull through this."

“…How long have you known she was a NEXT?” Barnaby looked up at Sr.

"…Since our honeymoon." Senior looked down at his wife, reaching out to touch her cheek, "I know…we never told you…"

“Why? Why was I never told? I’m a NEXT too. She could have helped me understand my power better while I was growing up.”

"…She was afraid. Afraid of people finding out. She didn't even want me to know, but she uses her power at work a lot, I was bound to find out. Please understand that…when your mother's powers awoke NEXTs were persecuted greatly. Sure, a few became heroes at the time in attempt to show the world that NEXTs were good, but there was still a huge stigma against any that were not heroes. She would have been kicked out of school, denied a job in robotic engineering which had been her dream. She would have never met me—she would have never given birth to you. If she had been discovered, she would have been taken away by a group that had formed, and forced to serve them. A group called Ouroboros." He shook his head, "The fear of that fate was one she was never able to get over, even when you had powers awaken…She knew you would live in a different world than she did. She wanted to tell you so man times but each time… Please, don't be angry at her for her secret."

“Ouroboros… That’s that symbol that was on the boards wasn’t it? A snake eating its tail? Why did they come after Mom again? That’s who took you and her, right?”

Barnaby sr. nodded, "They have a plot to take over the city, and they want to use your mother's and my work to help do it. They didn't know of your mother's powers until she used them in self defense. She had never used them as a weapon before. It took a lot out of her to do so. She has excellent control over it in small doses, using it to help bring life to robotics during development. It saves us time and money. But her power turns her energy into electric shocks. Using a large amount of it causes her to grow exhausted and weak. We were being starved. She didn't have the strength to carry Kaede so I had to when we made out escape. She stayed behind using her powers more than she should have in attempt to allow me to get more distance between us so we could get the little girl to safety. Ouroboros still…has our work. They are still a huge threat."

“But you took something to buy yourselves time, didn’t you? I know you guys aren’t that negligent to your projects to leave everything lying around for someone to pick up.”

He nodded, "However, once they get her going again she'll be even more unstable and unpredictable as a weapon without it. But it was all we could take to disable her with the time we had."

“At least you guys got out. I’m glad Kotetsu and I decided to search one more subway station. We wouldn’t have found you if we went home.” Barnaby sighed and squeezed his mother’s hand.

Senior nodded, "That man…he mentioned that he loved you. Does that mean what I think it does?"

“Huh? Oh…” Barnaby flushed a little. “Y-yes, we’re dating.”

"Your mother would like to hear that story when she wakes up."

“Ah… maybe it’s not the most appropriate how we reached the dating status.” Barnaby chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

His father was silent a long time before he spoke in a low voice, "…You lost your virginity, didn't you?"

“Dad!” Barnaby’s eyes were very wide, glancing back and forth between his father and his mother, as if she could hear them talking. His face was growing more flushed.

"What? You are an adult. There is no shame in sex. Your mother and I enjoy it often, ourselves."

“DAD!” Barnaby hid his face very quickly.

"What? How else did you think you were born? We love each other and when the mood is right we take advantage of it to enjoy each other. I can't blame you for doing the same with Tiger."

Barnaby groaned loudly, shoving his face into the sheets of the bed his mother was in. “I know how all that works, Dad. I don’t need to talk about it.”

The man chuckled, "Did you enjoy it?"

“I… Y-yeah…”

"Good." He stood up and moved over to the second bed in the room that was reserved for his use while he was there, pulling his IV drip along with him. "It has been a rather long night. Try to get some rest."

Barnaby sat back in his chair next to Emily’s bed, sighing as he was finally free of the uncomfortable conversation with his father. A small smile found his lips though, remembering just how good that night with Kotetsu had been. He wished they could do it again soon.

* * *

To be continued…


	23. Chapter 23

Kaede took little time to regain her health, becoming her normal, cheery self again within a day. Sr. recovered in much the same way, so the two were released from the hospital, though they didn’t leave quite yet. Instead, they gathered up in Emily’s room, along with Kotetsu and Barnaby, to talk over some things and to figure out what exactly was going on with the organization known as Ouroboros.

Kotetsu was sitting in a chair, his daughter on his lap as he hugged her close. She had gotten so thin…it worried him despite the fact that the doctors had reassured him she would be fine as long as she stayed on the diet they recommended for her to regain the weight she had lost. The girl didn't mind. She understood her father's worry and need to feel as if she was protected after all that had happened to her. So she let him hold her close. Plus, it was comforting to her, as well.

Barnaby and Sr., had returned to their places beside Emily, the younger gripping his mother’s hand a little tighter than he should have. He was the one to raise up questions first. “So how did this all start? Who caused that fire in the facility?”

"We don't know." Emily shook her head, "We didn't know our lab was set on fire. It must have happened after we had been knocked out."

She sighed and moaned in pain a little as she adjusted her position, "We had just become successful in a very important part of Cis' programming; turning her from a robot to artificial intelligence. Of course, it wasn't perfect yet. We needed to perfect her as we were designing her as a tool for hospitals and stay at home patients. Maverick, having been the one to fund Cis' prototype was contacted about the breakthrough and he showed up to see for himself. That's when things took a turn for the worst."

“So… it is possible that Maverick is behind all of this? How could he do this to us? He’s been a family friend since before I was born.” Barnaby shook his head, gripping his mother’s hand tighter.

“I’m not even sure he should have been considered a family friend at all…” Sr. looked at his wife, remembering what Maverick had said about the things he did to Barnaby when he was a child.

“Well, now, yeah. But wasn’t he before all this started? He treated our family good, protected us at times even…right?”

"No." Emily shook her head and held his hand between both of hers, "…We found out that he hurt you…you were so small, and he hurt you…"

“He…hurt me? How? I seem to be fine now?”

"…Remember those years when you were very sick?"

“Barely. I slept a lot, but that’s about all I remember.”

"He was using you as a guinea pig. He made you sick. He made you miss out on those years of being a happy, healthy boy." Emily huffed, clearly upset by it.

Barnaby’s eyes widened, looking from his mother to his father, and then to Kotetsu before back at his mother. “…What did he do to me? Do you know?”

Emily took a deep, painful breath as she looked over at her husband before looking down. "He….found a way to drain power from a NEXT and put it into someone else… Your Hundred Power…it…wasn't originally yours."

“So I have someone else’s power?! He stole a NEXT power and injected it into me! Then… am I really a NEXT in the first place? Was I just a normal human before he put the power into me?” Barnaby had to sit down; being given almost too much to take in about the man he had trusted as a family friend for so many years.

"We have reason to believe you are still a natural NEXT, but because of Maverick, your natural powers haven't awoken, blocked by the Hundred Power stolen from Mr. Ledged and possibly some from Wild Tiger as well before they finally took effect in you. He wanted to have someone with Hundred Power under his control…" Barnaby's father spoke, catching everyone's attention. "We believe he chose you because in his mind…you should have been his son, not mine. He didn't know Em was a NEXT, and apparently NEXT powers is somewhat genetic. A child born with a NEXT parent has a high chance at having NEXT powers of their own. But he assumed you didn't have any."

Again, Barnaby looked at Kotetsu, a worried and shocked expression taking over his handsome face. “So… I have Mr. Legend’s power… all of it… inside of me, blocking my own power? How could Maverick do that? He put a great hero out of active duty all so he could make me into a powerful NEXT… and… and…” He shuddered at the thought of how close he may have been to having Maverick as his father.

"We aren't sure how…he mentioned some particle in the blood of a NEXT but…" Senior shook his head, "That man was never a friend. He only used us."

"He's also a NEXT. He has some sort of power that can affect memories in other people." Emily said.

Kaede nodded, "He threatened to make my Dad forget I was ever born if I didn't listen!"

“Forget… Kotetsu! Maverick did alter your memories! He made you forget what happened the day you lost your leg. I sent you out to go talk to him, and when I found you again, you had forgotten about it, what you saw there.” Barnaby looked at his father. “Is there any way to get those memories back?”

"Maybe to force Maverick?"

“With how I know him to be now, I doubt brute force will work.” Barnaby sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m not using my own NEXT power.”

"It is yours…now it is." Kotetsu finally spoke up, "Mr. Ledged would have wanted his power to be used for good. And that is what you are doing. His power was for helping people, and you are using it to help people just as he did. He passed it on to you, even if he wasn't aware of it. And now you have two powers. You other power just has yet to awaken."

Barnaby looked out the window in the room, gathering up his thoughts. “If there is a way to awaken my other power… I might be able to stop Maverick from doing any more damage, especially if now he has Cis on his side.”

"I would…also be cautious, Tiger." Emily said, looking over at Kotetsu, "…He took some of your power from you. You may not have noticed before now, but in the future your powers may decline, based on what we have heard Maverick say on the matter."

“It almost seems like there’s no way to beat him,” Barnaby said quietly. He stood and moved over to the window. “…If we could combine powers, it might help keep Kotetsu strong. Plus we have the other heroes who can help us. And if NEXT powers are genetic, then isn’t it likely that Kaede would have a power?”

"Yes, but we shouldn't force them into activating. New NEXT powers can be unpredictable already." Emily sighed.

"This isn't a fight for a little girl." Kotetsu insisted.

“But something unpredictable can be powerful as well. We can use that raw energy to take down Maverick if it comes down to it. A new NEXT power could help us immensely.” Barnaby turned back to the others. “Maverick is obviously stronger and at more of an advantage than us right now. If we can come up with a way to focus the unpredictable energy of a NEXT power, we might just be able to break through his defenses.”

"But it could also hurt Kaede! Reports of a new NEXT's powers turning on them when their limits are pushed are not uncommon. It's best to let her powers—if she has any—develop and mature naturally." Kotetsu growled.

“That’s why, if she doesn’t have any NEXT powers in the end, I’ll be the one to push my limits. Whatever my original power is, I’m positive it’ll help us to defeat Maverick and whatever he throws at us.” Barnaby stood up straighter, looking as confident and positive as possible.

"I don't want you hurting yourself, either!" Kotetsu said, moving his daughter off his lap and standing up. Without his cane, he moved over to Barnaby and put his hands on his shoulders, "We could lose you."

“It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. It could be our only way of stopping Maverick.”

"I'm not!" Kotetsu nearly shouted, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "I'm not willing to lose you. I can't…handle it…"

“Kotetsu…” Barnaby pulled Kotetsu closer and hugged him tight. “I’m a hero, and you’re a hero. We have to do things for the good of the city that puts our lives in danger.”

"It's not the same as forcing out new NEXT powers. Bunny…don't let us lose you to something preventable."

“Kotetsu, I’ll be fine. I’m strong, and have you seen my mother? She’s pretty bad ass on her own using her power. Using the Hundred power with my original power will keep me strong. I can handle it.”

Kotetsu didn't look convinced as he stood there, Barnaby's cheeks cupped in his palms.

"….So when are you going to tell me that your mystery boyfriend is Barnaby, Dad?" Kaede suddenly cut in.

Barnaby’s eyes widened and he looked back at Kaede. He flushed a little and chuckled. “I didn’t know I was a mystery boyfriend.”

"Dad wouldn't tell me who he was dating. He said he wanted me to meet you in person when he told me."

“Ah, well here I am.” Barnaby struck a pose with his arms out, presenting himself.

The girl giggled, blushing lightly.

“Always a crowd pleaser,” Sr. said to his wife with a chuckle.

"Well, he is your son." Emily giggled, "You were very similar when you were younger."

“He’s got your looks though!”

Barnaby looked back at his parents and rolled his eyes.

"Oh don't mind us." Emily smiled at their son, "We're your parents. Talking about you is a full time hobby of ours!"

“I’ve guessed that by now. You two talked about me no matter the situation you’re in.” Barnaby sighed and smiled, looking at Kotetsu. “Kotetsu, whatever happens, I’ll be here by your side. I want you to help me. Trying to force my power out of sleeping, I want you here with me in case something were to happen. I need your support. What do you say?”

Kotetsu looked down, subconsciously gripping his pant leg in a fist. "That’s the thing…I'm still not much of a partner for you…I'm not the best…person to lean on if things go wrong…"

“You’re my best friend, Kotetsu, and a great partner. I couldn’t ask for any person better than yourself. Don’t think you’re useless to me, because you’re worth so much. I know the same goes for me, and that’s why I want you with me. Partners stick together, work or romantic partners, it doesn’t matter.”

"I failed to save my own daughter from abduction…I can barely walk without my cane to help…and you want to rely on me when it comes down to life or death?"

“Yes, I do.” Barnaby tilted Kotetsu’s face upwards so he could look into the golden eyes he had come to love so much.

"…Don't…I wouldn't…" Kotetsu muttered, turning away and walking over to the window, "But if Maverick is our enemy, we can't stay here. We need to get our families someplace safe where he can't get his hands on them again. I'll take them somewhere to hide."

Barnaby knew Kotetsu wasn’t going to agree with him easily on the subject, but he sighed and put a smile on his face. “As long as everyone is safe. Our homes aren’t and neither are my parents’ and Kaede’s homes.”

"No. we need a place he won't suspect."

“Maybe we need to hide somewhere that’s right under his nose. Somewhere that he visits often, perhaps.” Barnaby looked out the window once more, lost in thought until he spotted the Apollon building. His eyes lit up a little. “Apollon Media…”

"How? We don't know who we can trust with his mind tricks and those who are actually loyal to him…"

“With the way Florence and Lloyds talk about Maverick, I’m positive we can trust them. They don’t like him any more than we do. He’s demanding and manipulative.” Barnaby turned back to Kotetsu. “Agnes may be of help as well. I’m not too sure on her yet, though I haven’t been around her as long as you have.”

"Ah, all I know is that she's pushy, grumpy, and for some reason Antonio has a thing for her." Kotetsu shrugged, "What about Saito?"

“Saito is a good man. He wouldn’t ever have hidden intentions of hurting any one of us. We’re safe with him.”

"Any ideas on sneaking them in? I'd rather not wait until nightfall. The man probably already knows they are gone."

“Nathan and Karina are great with makeup, right?” Barnaby smirked as he pulled out his phone. “I could get us some wigs if we need them.”

"Hu? How is makeup going to help?"

“We are heroes, are we not? We are masters of disguise. Surely we can change how everyone looks, have them pass as random tourists off the streets.”

"I don't see how…Makeup just makes girls look more grown up…"

“What, you haven’t seen the makeup Nathan wears? I’ll call him and get him here. Karina too. We’ll need to get more clothes too, to hide their identities better. Pao-Lin and Karina can do that while Nathan is here doing makeup.” He dialed Nathan’s number and held the phone up to his ear as it rang.

"…Nathan just likes to look pretty, it doesn’t hide his face…" Kotetsu muttered, "Ah! But masks do! Look!" Kotetsu pulled out his mask and walked over, placing it on his daughter's face. "Tiny Tiger! We can disguise them as heroes! Like Origami and Sky High!"

"Daaad, no matter what I can never pass as you." Kaede complained, taking off the mask.

“Or hero fans. Costumes would work for sure, but none of us sound like the other heroes, unless someone here has a power of imitating voices” He focused on the call with Nathan once the other hero picked up. At the end of the call, it was decided that Nathan was to come right away to the hospital with every bit of makeup he had.

"Sky High is easy. _Thanks and thanks again!_ " Kotetsu said, mocking their friend's catchphrase.

“Yes, but that doesn’t sound like Sky High. It just sounds like you trying to imitate him.” Barnaby sighed.

Kotetsu pushed his bottom lip out in a pout.

The blond chuckled at Kotetsu’s pout, mentally taking a note of how much he loved the pout. “Sorry Kotetsu. Disguising everyone as fans would probably work better in the end.”

"But—Kaede's not ready for grown-up stuff like makeup!"

"I already wear it, Dad." The girl huffed, crossing her arms.

"Eh?"

“Have you never noticed, Kotetsu? Kaede does wear a little makeup.” Barnaby tilted his head with a smirk.

"…No she doesn't…"

"Dad, I've been wearing lip gloss and natural makeup for a year now."

The blond chuckled and patted Kotetsu’s shoulder. “You should be more attentive of your daughter.”

"But….teddy bears and…cute hair scrunchies…"

“Kaede is growing up. You can’t expect her to stay a little girl forever.”

"Yes I can…I'm her daddy!"

“Kotetsu,” Sr. spoke up. “I know what it’s like, seeing your kid grow up and being in denial of it. It’s going to happen, no matter how hard you try to stop it. But one thing you can do it keep those memories close and fresh in your mind. You may not get to have any moments like those again, but at least you can reflect on them and remember how fun those times were. At the same time, make new memories that are just as fun.”

"My dad's always like this."

"K-Kaede…"

“Like I said, try to do more fun things that are more Kaede’s age. Hopscotch and dress up won’t be fun forever.”

Barnaby nodded, remembering some of the things he had enjoyed as a child, around the time he was sick.

Nathan finally came to the room, carrying bags of makeup and wearing a huge smile. He had been happy to help with disguises, and he was all too eager to get started. “Alright, so who wants to get their makeup done first?”

"Me!" Kaede said, hopping into the chair her father had originally been sitting in and moving his forgotten cane to the side.

"Kaedeeeee!"

“Relax, Kotetsu,” Barnaby said as he retrieved his partner’s cane and gave it to him.

Nathan pulled up another chair and sat in front of Kaede, setting out several palettes of makeup. “When I’m done with you, you won’t even recognize yourself!”

"Can you make me look like my mom?"

"…You already look like her…" Kotetsu pouted, though truthfully.

“I can do my best, young lady.” Nathan got to work with Kaede’s makeup, and within no time, she was looking more like her mother than herself. Nathan gave her a mirror to see herself.

As Kaede got excited, Kotetsu stayed back, biting his tongue. He'd watched his baby turn into his wife right before his eyes, and he hadn't been prepared for it.

Barnaby pulled Kotetsu closer. “Amazing what a little makeup can do…”

He shook his head, "Not ready for that…"

“She’ll be an adult before you know it. Spend as much time with her now while she’s still young.”

"No, I need her…to stay my little girl a while longer…but right now…I don't see that little girl…she's the spitting image of Tomoe…it's too much too soon…"

“Do you need to leave the room? Talk about things? Or at least have someone listen?”

Kotetsu shook his head—then nodded—and then shook it again as he shrugged.

Sighing, Barnaby took Kotetsu’s arm and pulled him out of the room. “Let’s walk around for a bit, exercise your leg some.”

Kotetsu sighed and nodded, "Alright…sorry, it's just happening too fast…"

"It's okay. At least Kaede isn't that old yet. You still have a few years with her before she's off on her own." Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's hand and squeezed it.

"I miss when she was a baby…sleeping on my chest—she was so tiny…"

"She had to grow up a little though. She's not fully grown up yet, but she still loves you just as much as she did when she was a baby."

Kotetsu didn't respond as they slowly walked along the hall.

"…You ever think about having kids?" he asked after a while.

"No, not really. Having a family really wasn't my top priority when I trained and became a hero."

"I had wanted three… Maybe that’s why this is hard for me. I only get this one chance at fathering a kid, and I've missed so much of it…"

"I can't remember if you said you and your wife had tried for another kid before she passed. And you could always adopt. I'd...be willing to help."

"We had, but then we had to stop trying when she got sick…"

"I'm sorry, Kotetsu. You and your wife would have made the best parents."

Kotetsu stopped and looked at Barnaby, "…but now I have you." He whispered.

"That's right..." Barnaby whispered back with a smile. He cupped Kotetsu's face gently.

Kotetsu stood there, looking up into green eyes before he suddenly moved, pulling the blond down into his lips.

Barnaby gladly accepted the kiss, moving his lips in return slowly. At that moment, he didn't care who was watching. All he was concerned about was his partner.

"Bunny…is it wrong of me to…want a distraction tonight?" The older hero whispered against the younger's lips.

"After all we gone through, I don't blame you for wanting one. And I'll gladly help with the distraction." The blond smiled kindly, stroking Kotetsu's hair.

"Thank you." Kotetsu pressed another tender kiss to the blond's lips.

"I'll take all the pain away for at least a night. Hopefully you'll feel better afterwards. But we have our family to sneak into Apollon before tonight." Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's hands and squeezed them gently. "Let's walk around a bit more before heading back."

"Family first, but when we get back to my place—or yours…"

"It'll just be us, and we can indulge in each other for as long as you want."

"I want to give you your birthday gift. I know it's early yet, but this mess isn't over. We may not have time on your birthday next week."

"You want to give it to me now? I don't mind if it's a late present."

"I'm excited for it."

"I suppose I should be as well."

"You should."

Barnaby and Kotetsu walked around for a little longer before they returned to Emily’s room, where everyone was now covered in makeup and looking like entirely different people. Barnaby was surprised to see how well Nathan did with all the makeup.

"Ah, just in time, Tiger. Your turn." Nathan grinned.

Kotetsu blinked, confused, "What? I don't need a disguise!"

"No, but I have always wanted to play around with that face of yours, and after hearing you complain so much about makeup I feel it's a good punishment for your childishness. Now come here!" Nathan grabbed Kotetsu, pulling him into a chair and straddling his legs to trap him there.

Barnaby flushed a little, though he did manage to chuckle. “Easy with the old man. Don’t want to give him a heart attack.”

"He'll be fine." Nathan said, comparing foundations to Kotetsu's skin to find the best match with a smirk upon his pink lips, "In fact, he'll be so fine he'll blow your mind."

“He’s already done quite a lot of that, actually…” Barnaby sighed and looked at his parents. “You two look good. Hard to tell who you really are.”

Barnaby Sr. smirked at his son, "I'll say."

Barnaby Jr. took a deep breath. “I’ll be glad when this is all over. I’m mentally exhausted from thinking so hard about things. I need a break.”

"Hold still, Tiger! Making this more difficult will only make you look bad!" Nathan scolded the man under him.

The blond turned to look at what Nathan was doing to Kotetsu, and though it was odd, Barnaby didn’t regret looking. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Kotetsu's skin looked a little lighter due to Nathan not having the perfect shade on hand, and his age lines were less defined. But Nathan hadn't stopped there, bringing a little color to Kotetsu's cheeks and currently, he was attacking Kotetsu's eyebrows.

After Nathan had finished, he finally got off Kotetsu and stepped back to admire his work. The eyebrows looked fuller and more shapely, his eyes lines in black but also supporting a green eye shadow that complimented his golden eyes. His lips painted dark purplish black. It was a bold look, but striking and flattering on the veteran hero.

Barnaby had to lean against the bed, gasping for air after his fit of laughter. “Oh my god, Kotetsu, you’re killing me!”

Nathan crossed his arms as he admired his work. “Gorgeous,” was all he said.

Kotetsu frowned, "I didn't do anything, Bunny…"

“You need to look at yourself now.” Barnaby held back his laughing as he grabbed one of Nathan’s small mirrors, handing it to his partner and busting into laughter again.

"Oh stop that, Handsome, Tiger looks good! Mm~ I'd love to have you join me in my bed tonight looking like this~" he flirted, moving to tilt Kotetsu's chin up delicately.

Kotetsu's eyes widened, his cheeks heating, "Sorry, but first of all, my daughter _is_ in the room. And secondly, I'll have to decline as I'm interested in someone else at the moment."

"Ahh, well, if you change your mind, you'll know where to find me, love~" he shrugged, planting a kiss on the corner of Kotetsu's lips and cheek.

Barnaby managed to calm down a little, clearing his throat when Nathan leaned in to kiss Kotetsu. He managed to keep calm until Nathan was away from his partner.

Kaede, however, didn't look pleased, hands on her hips, "Are you not aware that my dad is dating Barnaby?" she demanded, "Only Barnaby can kiss my dad like that!"

“Oh really?” Nathan’s eyes lit up as he looked back and forth between Kotetsu and Barnaby. “Well that’s certainly surprising to hear! But I knew you two had to get together at some point.” He winked.

"What?" Kotetsu blinked at Nathan, "How? We were just partners. It wasn't obvious we liked each other!"

"Body language says a whole lot, Tiger."

"What body language?"

“That sparkle in your eyes, the way you lean towards Handsome when you talk to him. It’s all there, and it’s easy to read to a person such as myself.”

"You see it everywhere. You thought Antonio and I were together when you first met us and there has been nothing more than friendship there!"

"Well I knew for sure this time you two were together. There was no doubt about it that one morning. You were in a much better mood than you had been."

"One…morning?" Kotetsu asked, confused.

“Well maybe it was more like afternoon? But you came with Bison after therapy, and you looked pretty content.”

"…I'm not sure what you are talking about." Kotetsu shook his head and sighed. "Can I wash my face now?"

"Absolutely not! You are keeping that on, Tiger!" Nathan wagged a finger at Kotetsu.

"But why? Bunny laughed at me…"

"Everyone here needs a good laugh, especially now. You're just helping to lighten the mood."

Barnaby nodded in agreement, stepping closer to Kotetsu and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"But why me?" He looked up at his boyfriend, "Do I really look that bad?"

"You don't look bad. More like quite dashing." Barnaby chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of Kotetsu's head.

"Then why did you laugh?"

"Because I have never seen such extravagant makeup on you ever."  
"That's because I'm a man who has never touched makeup before."

"Well now you have, and it's entertaining." Barnaby looked up at Nathan. "We need some new clothes. You and Karina can take care of that while we deal with getting out of here. I'll write down sizes for you, and you can get whatever you want." He grabbed a pen and pad of paper that was near the bed on a table, scribbling down sizes for each person who was to get new clothes, then he handed the paper to Nathan. "Call me if you have any questions, and make sure Karina is in on this."

After Nathan started gathering his makeup to leave, Kaede walked up behind Barnaby and reached up to tap his shoulder, "Is it true that you confessed to my dad first?"

Barnaby flushed a little as he looked down at the girl. "Ah...yeah. I did confess first."

"Ahh, I didn't believe it…" The girl sighed, "Wait! Is that why you answered my dad's phone that one time?"

“Probably. I’ve been helping your dad out a lot since he got his prosthetic.”

"It was before that. It was right after the fire."

“Oh, was it? There’s been so much going on, I guess I forgot.” Barnaby chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"He confessed to me the morning before the fire." Kotetsu spoke up, "I told him I needed time to see if my heart was ready to move on. I didn't want to hurt him by jumping into something I wasn't ready for. After I found my answer was when I told you about it."

"Ah yeah," Barnaby nodded as he remembered, along with the fun they had had the night the answer was given.

"Oh my~ I don't think I have ever seen you blush that much before, Handsome." Nathan cooed at Barnaby.

"I'm blushing?" Barnaby felt his face, surprised to find it warm. "Jeez I'm sorry..."

"Remembering something nice, are we?"

“Uh… y-yeah.” The blond looked at the floor as he cleared his throat.

"It's to be expected. Tiger's his first boyfriend." Emily spoke up with a yawn.

“Mom!” Barnaby was surprised to hear his mother speak up on the topic.

"It's true, though. You never dated before or even seemed interested in dating until you got to know who your Wild Tiger was behind the mask. It's sweet."

“I guess…” Barnaby looked at Kotetsu and shrugged with a smile.

"It was nice to be Bunny's first kiss." Kotetsu smiled, reaching out to pull Barnaby closer so he could take his hand.

“It was rather nice. And it was even better since it was you.”

Kotetsu kissed Barnaby's hand and sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“Anyways,” Barnaby continued after clearing his throat. “We should get you guys ready to leave, or at least Dad and Kaede. I don’t think they’d release you quite yet, Mom, but I’m not positive on that until I check with the doctors.”

"They need to. It's not safe here and we don't know who is working for Maverick. There very well could be corrupted officers and doctors working for him." Emily shook her head.

“I could convince the doctors it’d be better for you to be home. You’re too stressed here anyways, right?” Barnaby moved to grab his mother’s hand and smiled with a wink.

"Oh~ I just want to be home where I can heal in peace with my dear Husband bringing me breakfast in bed!" Emily dramatized.

“I’ll go see what I can do with the doctors.” Barnaby turned to the others. “In the meantime, Kotetsu, stay here and make sure no one tries to steal these three again. Just shout if there’s any trouble.” With those words and a quick kiss to Kotetsu’s cheek, Barnaby left in search of the doctors who had taken care of his mother.

Kotetsu sighed and pulled his daughter onto his lap, holding her close again. "…Are you sure I can't wash my face?"

“Yes,” Kaede replied with a giggle. “Besides, it makes you look cute!”

"Cute? But I don't want to be a cute dad; I want to be Kaede's cool dad!"

“You’re a hero, so you’re already cool. But now you’re cute and cool.”

"Eh?"  Kotetsu blinked, his heart feeling like it was expanding within his chest. His daughter told him he was a cool dad! "Kaede!" He hugged her tighter.

“Dad! You’re squishing me!” Kaede wiggled a little in her father’s arms.

Kotetsu only smiled, nuzzling her with his cheek.

* * *

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kotetsu's makeup was inspired by our friend Emily who once did an amazing Kotetsu makeup thing.  
> I would link it but the only copy I know of is not set to public. (Emily, hun, if you have it anywhere other than Facebook where people can see, let me know! I know you read this fic (Or used to) so yeah. XD)
> 
> Oh yeah, so, in other news, this fanfiction has actually been on hiatus for a while while the two of us finished up our other collaborative T&B fic "Personal Assistant", but we have finished that one and will be returning to working on this one soon! We just need to refresh our memories a bit on details. We have all of chapter 24 and part of chapter 5 done before we took the hiatus so until we build up a few more chapters to buffer between what is posted and what we are writing updates will continue to be slow-is, but yeah! This one is now off hiatus again!


	24. Chapter 24

Barnaby managed to take the doctors into letting his mother leave the hospital, claiming she wasn’t comfortable in the hospital atmosphere, and would be much happier at home while she healed. She was released from the hospital that evening, leaving in a wheelchair in case she didn’t have the strength to hold herself up. Barnaby wheeled her out getting her into his car in the front seat before the others got in.

Barnaby took them to Apollon, meeting up with Nathan and Karina there with the new clothes. The girls got changed in the car first, and then Sr. changed after the girls had gotten out. All three of the newly dressed people were ready to go inside the building as tourists and huge fans of Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks Jr.

“Are you ready to pull this off?” Barnaby asked his mother.

"Yes, but I don't think he is." She nodded to Kotetsu who was lingering behind, makeup still on his face.

“He’ll be fine. He’s just upset about the makeup still.” Barnaby chuckled and hugged his mother as best as he could with her sitting in the chair. “Now let’s get you guys to safety quickly.” The blond gestured for his father to push his mother, and for Kaede to walk to the side of them.

Barnaby moved back to Kotetsu and squeezed his shoulder gently. “Ready? You can take the makeup off after we get them safe.”

"Why not before? People _know_ me here…"

“You still look like you. Everyone knows Nathan has been dying to get his hands on you, and now he did.”

Kotetsu's pout was even more noticeable with the lipstick upon his lips.

"Love you," Barnaby said with a quick kiss. "Okay let's head inside."

The party moved on into Apollon, and they managed to make it to the elevators without being questioned at all about the guests.

"Is this really where you work every day?" Kaede asked looking at her dad as the elevator moved up to their destination floor.

Kotetsu nodded, "We have an office the floor above where you are going."

“Hopefully there we can talk to Florence and get her to help us.” Barnaby sighed lightly as he looked up at the displayed number of the floor they were passing.

"But you need to wait in Doc Saito's lab until we know exactly where to hide you." Kotetsu nodded.

“He’ll be willing to help us for sure,” Barnaby added. The elevator reached its destination, and the party moved out and to Saito’s lab, Barnaby leading the way. Once they were in the lab, Barnaby searched for the small man, finding him working on some modifications for the hero suits. “Doc Saito? We need a favor.”

The small man looked up, his lips moving as he spoke, though no one heard him.

Barnaby stepped to the side, letting Saito look at his parents and Kaede. “These three need to be hidden from Maverick for a while, and we trust you can help us out. We need them to stay here in your lab for a while before we have a set plan. Can you keep them in here for us?”

The man sighed and gave a nod.

“Thank you, Saito. This really means a lot to us.” Barnaby turned back to the rest of the party. “Okay, Mom, Dad, and Kaede, stay here. Kotetsu and I will go to our office and talk with Florence. We should be back soon.”

Kaede ran and hugged her father, "Be careful if you see mole-head guy."

“We’ll both be careful.” Barnaby smiled and hugged his parents before leading Kotetsu out of the lab and to their office. He ran a hand through his hair after they were out of the lab. “This is going to be hard…”

"Hmm?" Kotetsu looked at his boyfriend.

“I keep feeling like they’ll get found, and then everything will go wrong.”

"I could have stayed with them…"

“I need you to be with me so it doesn’t look suspicious to anyone.”

"…I'll be glad when this is all over…" Kotetsu sighed, flopping into his desk chair a moment to readjust his leg.

Barnaby sat down with a sigh. “Same. Actually, I’ll be glad for some time together tonight. We both need it."

"Which place are we going to tonight?" Kotetsu asked.

“Yours would be nice… I haven’t gotten around to really cleaning my room more.” Barnaby flushed a little, knowing there were still tons of Wild Tiger items in his bedroom.

"You know I don't mind a mess." Kotetsu shrugged, "But my place it is."

“Thanks.” Barnaby leaned against the divider between his and Kotetsu’s desks.

"Think she'll be back soon?" he asked, looking at the secretary's desk.

“Maybe. I just hope she hasn’t left for the day.”

"What exactly is your plan? Kotetsu asked, "You never really said any specifics… and—" Kotetsu trailed off, his eyes moving to look past Barnaby at the door to Lloyd's office which had just opened. The man and Maverick both stepping out, still in conversation with each other.

Barnaby quickly moved back over to his desk, looking busy when the two men came out of Lloyds's office.

"—and please contact me as soon as you hear anything." Maverick was saying.

"Of course, sir."

"Good. Ah, Barnaby, Tiger. I haven't seen you two at work in a few days."

"We've been busy," Barnaby stated flatly, keeping his eyes glued to his computer screen.

"As would be expected from our star hero. And you, how is that new leg treating you?"

"Well enough. Though it will still be some time before I no longer need a cane." Kotetsu said, playing up his dependency on the cane next to him in hopes to throw Maverick off on how fast he was healing."

"Shame. It'd be nice to see you both working together again on Hero TV. After all, that's your selling point; being partners." He turned to go, then stopped, "Oh, I heard a rumor that your parents have been found and are in the hospital, is that true, Barnaby? I imagine you'd be the first one notified."

"Really?!" Barnaby looked up from his computer, eyes wide and sounding as hopeful as possible. "I wasn't told. Who told you?"

"I received a call maybe an hour ago. I am about to go over to see if it's true, would you like to join me?"

"...If Kotetsu could come too? I'm sure my parents might have something to say that can help find his daughter."

"His…daughter? Aren't we looking for her elsewhere? There was no evidence that they were all three abducted by the same people."

"I—I see…so there was no mention of my Kaede?"

"Not in the call I received, no. I'm sorry."

"Well... I thought it might help. Sorry, Kotetsu." Barnaby sighed looking down at his desk. "Can he still go with us? If my parents aren't there... I don't think I could make it very far without having a spare shoulder."

"I suppose…you two have gotten quite close, haven't you?"

"My parents' disappearance played a part in that. I took the news heavily, and I needed so some to help me keep moving forward."

Maverick smiled, "Well, I'm glad one good thing came from such a horrible event. I remember you always had a hard time making friends."

"I have a good friend now. We'd better go if my parents are there. Don't want to keep them waiting." Barnaby got up and headed out of the office, glancing at Kotetsu briefly.

Kotetsu glanced back, gripping his cane as he played up his dependence on it. He honestly didn't know what they would do when they got to the hospital.

The trip to the hospital was silent, and once they got there Kotetsu and Barnaby let Maverick do all the talking, because they knew nothing of the situation. For all they knew, Maverick was either setting them up or really confused as to why Barnaby's parents were in the hospital.

After speaking to the nurse at the front desk, Maverick approached them, "She said they were released already and went home. They didn't call you?"

Barnaby shook his head. "I would think that I would have been called since I'm family..."

"…Something fishy is going on…"

"I agree..." Barnaby sighed and looked at Kotetsu.

"Don't look at me! I'm super confused right now, too! I…I was hoping you'd come back and say they also had Kaede…"

"Sorry..." The blond looked at the floor instead, chewing on his lip. "Can we go back? There's no use for us to be here anymore..."

"How about we check out your parents place?" Maverick suggested.

"If they aren't here, and I wasn't called, I don't think they would be home. It wouldn't make any sense."

"I was told they were here and that they were released."

"Then why did we even come here in the first place? If they were released, they would have been home, not here."

"Because last I had heard they were here. You don't seem to be too interested in seeing your parents again, Barnaby."

"I am! I'm just confused as to why we came here if you were told they were released!" Barnaby frowned, slightly losing the act he was putting on.

"You aren't listening." Maverick narrowed his eyes.

"Bunny, shh, calm down." Kotetsu took his hand.

Barnaby shut up instantly, moving to the exit while pulling Kotetsu with him. He needed a breather, some fresh air to clear his mind.

"Hold on. Tiger, may I have a word?" Maverick held Kotetsu's shoulder to stop him from following Barnaby.

"Hu? But Bunny—"

"It'll only be a second." The man insisted, pulling Kotetsu to the side, "I'm worried. Has Barnaby been getting enough sleep?"

"I…think so. It's not like I watch him sleep all night or anything. But…we both have our worries. His parents and my daughter... We—" He was interrupted and stunned by a quick flash of light.

Barnaby turned back just in time to see Kotetsu stumble back from the flash. “Kotetsu!”

As Kotetsu slumped back against the wall he was near, Maverick turned on Barnaby, "Should have kept walking, my boy." He sneered before another flash of light was directed out at Barnaby and anyone who happened to be paying attention.

Barnaby blinked as he suddenly felt dizzy, and before he knew it, he was unconscious on the floor.

Maverick had two nurses help him get the heroes back into his limo before wiping their memories of the incident. He sighed as his driver pulled away, "Next time you lie to me about sneaking around behind my back, don't do so where I know your locations." He sneered, removing both their call bands from their wrists and tossing them out the window.

"After All I did for you, Barnaby… Well, never mind that. By the time you wake up, you'll tell me all about it. You and your stupid partner will work for me." He placed his hand over Barnaby's eyes, fingers upon his temples as he began to glow.

 

* * *

 

It was several hours before Barnaby regained consciousness. He came to with a groan, attempting to look around the dark and unfamiliar room he was in while also fighting a massive headache. It was too dark for him to make out anything. “…Kotetsu… anyone…” The room was dark, but the bed he lay in was soft and welcoming.

Hearing no one reply, Barnaby sighed and sat up slowly. He felt the bed a little before swinging his legs over the edge and standing. It hurt a little, but he managed to steady himself as he reached for his phone in his pocket.

Which wasn't there. He was wearing shorts, not pants, so his phone must have been on a table or something. He heard someone moving things around just outside the room he was in, and he moved towards what he thought was the door and opened it slowly, peaking into the dim hallway.

"No I want to know the moment you find out anything. Of course I'm worried. Too much has happened and things are out of control. I want things fixed, and I want her back." Maverick's voice drifted into the hall from a study which door was ajar, a beam of light escaping across the carpeted floor and walls. There was a click, indicating that a phone had been dropped back in place.

Barnaby smiled, happy to hear a familiar voice. He moved out of the room, leaving the door open as he moved closer to Maverick’s study. He knocked on the door gently, knowing that the man didn’t like to be barged in on when he was dealing with something important.

Maverick looked up and smiled, "You're awake. You slept right through dinner, you know. Are you feeling well?"

“I’m fine. My head hurts like crazy though.” Barnaby stepped into the study, yawning a little. “Sorry I slept through dinner. Must have been my headache.”

"Headache? Hmm," The man pushed himself up and walked over to a liquor cabinet, though rather than reaching for a bottle of scotch, he took out a bottle of pills and filled a glass with water from the small built-in sink. He then shook out a single pill and handed it and the water out to Barnaby, "Try this. I find it works a little better than the usual stuff your mom gets."

“Thanks.” The blond took the pill and drank the water. “Speaking of Mom, where is she? I would have thought she’d be around while I was sleeping.”

He sighed, "I'm not sure."

“You’re not sure? What does that mean?”

"I…am unable to get a hold of her ever since she left to go meet with that business partner of hers."

“She probably forgot to turn her phone volume up. You know she gets very involved in her work.”

"Ah, true. Still, I worry for her."

“I’m sure she’s fine. She wouldn’t just leave us without any warning.”

"You should eat something. Shall I have the cook prepare something for you?"

“Um… sure. I’m not that hungry, though.”

"Only if you are sure. Is there anything you would like or need? Remember, this is your home, too."

“…Kotetsu.” Barnaby looked at Maverick with his green eyes sparkling. “I want to see him.”

"Your friend? I let him use the room next to yours. He should be in there."

“Alright. I’m probably going to spend the rest of the night with him, if you don’t mind.” He smiled and moved to hug Maverick. “I’ll see you in the morning, Dad.”

Maverick's eyebrows shot upwards, "So, he is _that_ type of friend?"

“Y-yeah…” Barnaby chuckled lightly and stepped out of the room. “But yeah, see you in the morning.”

"Had I known, I would have let him join you in your room. You should talk to me more, my boy." Maverick smiled before closing himself into his study and leaving Barnaby to go about himself.

Barnaby left to head back to his room, only going past it and to the next room over. He knocked on the closed door. There was a small moan in response to Barnaby's knocking and he opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind him. “Kotetsu…”

"Bunny..?" The man lifted his head off the pillow and looked up at Barnaby, "Where have you been?"

“Sorry, I was in my room sleeping. I had a headache.” Barnaby smiled as he moved over to Kotetsu’s bed, sliding in with him.

"Me too. Come here." He pulled Barnaby closer and gave a happy sigh as he nuzzled his cheek into Barnaby's neck.

Barnaby took a deep breath and held Kotetsu close. “We’ve got all night to be with each other. Also, Dad didn’t know about our relationship apparently.”

"No?" Kotetsu's cheeks flushed, "Think he's okay with us?"

“He seemed like he was. He said if he had known he would have put us in the same room.” Barnaby pulled back and tilted Kotetsu’s head up to kiss him.

"I'm glad." He smiled, "I want your family to accept me as part of your life."

“They’ve been nagging me long enough to find a partner; I would think they’d accept you.” The blond kissed Kotetsu again, lingering on Kotetsu’s lips before moving to nibble on the older man’s ear gently.

Kotetsu giggled, "But still, I was so lonely before you. A family…it's nice, too." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "You smell good."

“You smell better…” Barnaby buried his face in Kotetsu’s neck, taking in the man’s scent slowly.

He laughed, hugging Barnaby close, "Does this mean what I think it means?"

“As long as you stay quiet this time. Dad is just across the hall.” Barnaby sat up and stripped his shirt off with a smile.

"No promises." Kotetsu smirked, reaching up to run his hand over Barnaby's abs.

“Oh come on. A small promise is good enough.” The blond shivered a little as he crawled on top of Kotetsu.

"I can't do that. I can only promise I can _try_ to be quieter."

“Good enough…” Barnaby leaned down and kissed Kotetsu.

"You may have to help. Preferably with those lips of yours."

"Oh? Well I can do that, you know. I may just have trouble of my own though." Barnaby kicked back the sheets so they weren't in the way.

"Then don't blame me if your dad hears our moans." Kotetsu smirked as he tugged Barnaby's shorts downwards.

"We can be a little risky." The blond's shorts were kicked off the bed, leaving Barnaby in just his underwear. "Your turn to strip."

"You're on me."

"You can strip a little. Make it a challenge." Barnaby licked his lips with a smirk, a hand moving under Kotetsu's shirt.

Kotetsu unbuttoned his shirt, leaving it open and on as he slid his hand under Barnaby to get to his pants undone.

Barnaby watched in amusement as Kotetsu stripped under him. He waited until he couldn't take the waiting any longer, and he rid Kotetsu of the rest of his clothes, including his underwear.

"Oh dear, now how is this fair?" Kotetsu asked, his fingers sliding along the band of Barnaby's briefs.

"Because I'm on top, and I lead things." Barnaby shivered a little, moving down Kotetsu's body until his face was close to the man's hardened member.

"So I don't get the treat of seeing my boyfriend fully nude before things get steamy?"

"Not yet, but you will get to see all of me soon." Barnaby dipped his head down and licked the tip of Kotetsu's member.

Kotetsu gasped, but stayed in control, "What if I remove them for you?"

Barnaby ran a hand up Kotetsu's leg. "If you're good, I'll let you take my underwear off."

"I have no intention on being good." Kotetsu said, sitting up suddenly and leaning over to push Barnaby's briefs down.

A small huff and a pout came from Barnaby. "Needy tonight..." He wasn't going to back down this early into things, so he took Kotetsu into his mouth and started sucking.

"You are too!" Kotetsu gasped, pinching Barnaby's bare cheek. "It—it feels like we haven't for a long time…"

Barnaby hummed in agreement, bobbing his head slowly.

"D-don't answer like that!" the older man moaned, though he didn't move to stop Barnaby.

Barnaby's eyes flicked up to look at Kotetsu, lust and love very clear as he continued to suck Kotetsu.

"Noo…" Kotetsu flopped back against the fluffy pillows as his legs twitched and his hand moved to tangle in blond curls, "…feels good…"

Barnaby chuckled and closed his eyes, focusing on making Kotetsu feel as good as possible. After a bit, he pulled back and blew on the tip of Kotetsu's member.

Kotetsu moaned again, bringing a leg up. "Bunny…"

"Want me to do more, or are you ready to move on?" Barnaby crawled back over Kotetsu, kissing him gently.

"…All of the above?" came the whispered answer. His hips moving to grind against Barnaby's.

The blond responded with a low moan, grinding back against Kotetsu slowly. "I don't think I could go through things slowly for much longer. It's been so long..."

Kotetsu's response was nothing more than the tip of his tongue sliding up along his neck, over his adams apple, under his jaw, and to his chin.

"D-damn..." Barnaby shivered more with another moan.

"I want to see your wild side." Tan fingers gripped pale hips, holding them in place as Kotetsu rubbed up against him again.

"I'll be at that point soon if you keep doing this." Barnaby wanted to grind against Kotetsu so bad, but he had to stay put, and it was almost painful. So instead he moved a few of his fingers closer to Kotetsu's mouth.

"Then I'll have to keep doing this." Kotetsu moaned without missing a beat in his sensual motions.

Barnaby moaned again, a little louder this time. He didn't care though. He felt good and he was with Kotetsu. That was all that mattered. Soon he was brought to the point where he couldn't stand to be teased anymore. He sat back and stroked his member that was leaking precum. "Turn over..."

"Make me." Kotetsu smirked, giving another slow, teasing roll of his hips to bring their members together.

Barnaby growled a little as he grabbed Kotetsu's hips and forced him to turn over onto his stomach. Barnaby's member was rubbing against Kotetsu's entrance in no time, making the blond moan louder again.

"N-no prep?" Kotetsu gasped, glancing over his shoulder at the blond.

"You got me too worked up. Unless you got lube in here that I don't know about, we're using what I got on me. It's not much either."

"Why would I have lube here? This is your dad's place. Not like I live here ready for you to jump me in bed."

"Going in dry then..." Barnaby sighed. "Well, I might have some in my room actually. I'll be right back." He left the room as sneakily as possible so as to not get caught by Maverick, then returned with a small tube and a condom in his hand. "You're lucky tonight, Kotetsu."

"My ass thanks you more than you can know." Kotetsu smiled, getting back into the position Barnaby had wanted him in.

The blond squeezed out some of the lube onto his hand and stroked himself, using his other hand to wipe up some of the lube and use it to start stretching his partner out.

With his rear still up in the air for Barnaby, Kotetsu lay his cheek down on the bed and reached back with both hands to help spread his cheeks.

Kotetsu was stretched out with up to three fingers, and once he was prepared a proper amount, Barnaby positioned himself at Kotetsu's entrance, butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. He swallowed before pushing into his partner.

Kotetsu moaned out, his back arching and his hands moving back down to grip the sheets. "Oh Bunny--!"

"Shh, we don't want to get caught do we?" Barnaby stopped once he was all the way in, letting Kotetsu adjust to his size.

"Would your dad care if he did catch us? You're an adult, not a teenager…" Kotetsu moaned, lowering his face into the pillow to muffle his voice.

"He wouldn't be happy if we disturbed him..." The blond started up a slow pace within Kotetsu, gasping a little at how tight Kotetsu was even after preparing him.

"Not like he's sleeping…" Kotetsu groaned louder into the pillow.

"He does a lot of things for work that he doesn't want to be disturbed from." The pace was rhythmic and comfortable, and it brought forth plenty of pleasure for both men. Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's hands and squeezed them.

"But we—ah!" Kotetsu gasped louder, bringing his face out of the pillow before he rocked himself back onto Barnaby, working with his movements to heighten their pleasure.

"Just don't worry about him. Focus on me only." Barnaby leaned down and kissed the back of Kotetsu's neck.

"N-Not hard to do…."

The blond chuckled. "Can't think of anything but me, can you?" He picked up the pace, reaching just a little deeper.

"You are all there is t-ohh—to think about—Bunny that—faster!" Kotetsu pleaded.

Barnaby changed his angle slightly as he thrust faster into Kotetsu, groaning and squeezing his eyes shut. "Oh god, Kotetsu..."

Kotetsu began panting harder, gasping for breath as his legs and arms trembled and began to slip, causing them to go down closer to the mattress with each strong thrust.

The bed creaked in protest of the passionate connection the two experienced. Barnaby kept going deeper and deeper, and then he hit Kotetsu's sweet spot full force and with a loud groan between clenched teeth. His hands gripped Kotetsu's hips tight.

Kotetsu failed to hold in his cry of pleasure as his sweet spot was struck over and over, driving his whole body mad with need for the release he teetered just on the edge of. "S-So CLOSE, BUNNY!" he cried out.

Barnaby breathed heavily, opening his eyes and looking down at the man he loved, taking the sight of him feeling so good, so pleasured by his lover, and it made Barnaby smile as he hit the same spot over and over quickly. "Come for me, Kotetsu... Oh my God!"

It took only a few more thrusts, and a slight change in position as Barnaby lifted Kotetsu a little more before the older man felt himself tumble over the edge of his pleasure, crying out his lover's name as his mess hit the sheets.

Barnaby thrust only a few more times after Kotetsu’s climax before he reached his own, throwing back his head with a loud groan as he released. His hips grinded against Kotetsu, milking out his orgasm for all it was worth. Kotetsu collapsed onto the bed, glancing back out the corner of his hooded eyes at Barnaby, a carefree smile upon his lips.

Both lay there panting, Barnaby on top of Kotetsu until he felt like rolling off of his lover and hugging him from the side. He sighed contently. “That was great, Kotetsu.”

Tiger curled up with Barnaby with a happy sigh, "You're staying here with me tonight, right?"

“Of course. I wouldn’t just leave you after this. Besides, you won’t be able to walk until morning if you need something.” Barnaby chuckled.

"Good." Kotetsu seemed to purr as he pulled the blankets up and over them both.

“Think Dad heard us?” Barnaby asked after a little bit of silence.

"...I don't actually care if he did." Kotetsu chuckled, "I'm not ashamed of loving you."

“I’m not either. I love you so much, Kotetsu.”

Kotetsu pulled Barnaby in closer, pressing little kisses to his lips. "I love you, my Bunny."

Barnaby kissed his lover for several minutes before deciding he had to use the bathroom. He gathered up his clothes and put his underwear and shorts back on before heading out into the hallway and to the bathroom, dropping his shirt in the dirty clothes basket.

Returning to Kotetsu’s bedroom, Barnaby pulled Kotetsu back into a hug after getting back on the bed and closed his eyes. “Kotetsu, I think we should be together forever.”

"Mmm," Kotetsu agreed, "I know we haven't been together for too long but...I think we should move in together..."

“I think we should too. Maybe we can get our own place on Silver or something. Not too high class but still pretty nice.”

"Sounds nice… Not like we need anything big, one bed, one bath, small kitchen…just a nice place for two."

"A nice place to start off with. Maybe we can think about kids in the future... Or getting married first."

Kotetsu's cheeks grew warm, "Yeah…I have always wanted to be a dad…"

"Have you wanted a daughter or a son? I've kinda wanted a daughter. I feel like I connect more with girls than boys, other than you of course. It's strange though, since I'm gay." Barnaby shrugged and kissed Kotetsu's forehead.

"I want both. If we get married maybe we can adopt a girl first, and then a boy after a few years? Two at once may be a bit much."

"I agree. Kotetsu, if I asked you today, would you marry me?"

Kotetsu's eyes widened and he sat up, turning to look down at the blond, "Are you asking?"

"Well... I don't have a ring to put on your finger, but..." The blond smiled up at Kotetsu.

"Bunny…" Kotetsu slid his arms around Barnaby, holding him close, "Yes…yes! I don't think I have ever felt this way about anyone before you. Normally I'd want to be together longer but…I'm not getting any younger and we only live once. I choose to live mine with you!"

Barnaby sighed happily; glad to get the big question out of the way. He was finally at his happiest moment in his life. It was a shame his mother wasn't around to enjoy it at that moment.

Kotetsu lay back down and ran a bare hand along Barnaby's side, unaware that it was missing a very important silver band. "I'm happy…"

"I am too. I love you, Kotetsu. I'll always love you, no matter what happens."

The two locked lips again, kissing deeply until they pulled back to breathe, changing to only small, lazy kisses until they drifted off to sleep together.

* * *

To be continued…


	25. Chapter 25

Surely Barnaby and Kotetsu would have remembered to come back to Saito's lab after they decided where to properly hide them. They wouldn't have just left their family with the small man they didn't know they could fully trust. But when the two heroes never came, Sr. began to worry, and he voiced his worry to his wife. "Em," he spoke in a low voice. "I've got a bad feeling..."

Kaede was over by Saito, watching him work with curiosity. He had allowed her to play with her father's helmet and had answered any questions she had shot at him. She had the helmet on her head as she watched him working on the leg of Wild Tiger's suit, filling it with robotic parts where his leg used to fit into. Now that it was gone, Saito knew he'd need extra support in the leg, and while he was at it, why waste the space when it could be filled with something useful to the hero? Balance and support was the most important part of the modification, but once that was accomplished, Saito started his experiments on the fun stuff. But even the distracted and curious girl had noticed that it was far later than she would have imagined for her father's return. She reached up and pressed the button on the arm of her father's suit, activating its watch and gasping. It was a little past midnight.

She jumped onto her feet and took off the helmet before hurrying over to Senior and Emily. "What's taking Dad and Barnaby so long?"

"We wish we knew, Kaede." Sr. sighed and scratched his head. "Maybe they ran into Maverick and they've been talking." He tried not to frighten the girl with thoughts of something wrong happening.

"Talking?" The girl put her hands on her hips, "I'm not a child, you know. It's after midnight. There is no way they are talking with anyone this late! Especially my dad when he knows he has to protect me from Wart-face!"

"Well... I don't want to scare you. But something serious may have happened. We don't know what, but I have a feeling that your father and Barnaby have forgotten us."

"My dad wouldn't! Family is his whole world! He always— _always_ thinks of Grandma, Uncle, and I first before anything else!"

"He might have been forced to forget about us. I may be wrong though, so don't assume that's what happened."

"No—no, Dad would never. Not even if Wart-face tried to make him. He'll always remember me!" the girl insisted.

Sr. smiled. "I'm glad you're thinking that way. I'm sure he'll be back soon with that goofy smile on his face."

She sighed, I hope dad comes back soon…"

"Try getting some sleep." Emily suggested gently, "We all should."

"Yes. It's been a long day, and a long night. We all need some proper sleep." Sr. grabbed Emily's hand and Kaede's, and he led them to the back of the lab, where they had set up cots earlier in case any of them got tired.

Saito stopped them, however, suggesting that Emily try the rest capsule he'd developed and explained that it would help speed healing and restore energy. In the end, Emily agreed and was helped into one. Kaede tried the second one and Barnaby Sr. had move a cot over closer to the girls before Saito locked up his lab for the night.

The three slept rather peacefully, despite having the worry that something may have happened to Kotetsu and Barnaby. None of them woke up in the middle of the night, so all got well rested up and had plenty of energy for the next day.

 

* * *

 

Saito was sitting in his lab, eyes fixed upon a large screen, a frown of distaste tugging on his lips as the Hero TV music drifted from the speakers.

An early morning crime had been committed and the heroes of Sternbild City had been called into action. Among them, Wild Tiger and Barnaby could be seen in pursuit of the bank robbers. Hot on he criminal's trail, the two sped at high speeds down the highway with their double chaser.

But they hadn't come to the lab to get their suits or called Saito to bring the suits to a nearby location. Yet they were both clad head to tow in similar yet obviously new suits. A sleek black replacing white and a deep glowing red replacing green and pink.

Where had they gotten such suits? Doctor Saito certainly hadn't designed them and he was rather put off by the idea that they would betray him like that. They hadn't even mentioned that they had another scientist working on suits for them.

Barnaby Sr. had woken first that morning, yawning as he sat up in the cot he had slept in. He looked around the room, remembering where he was and why he was there. His eyes settled on the small man who he had learned was named Saito. Curious as to why the man was clearly upset, Sr. stood up and walked over. That was when he saw Wild Tiger and Barnaby on the screen, clad in different suits than what they usually wore. “What the hell is going on?”

The rather quiet man glanced up at his fellow scientist. " _Obviously they have decided to replace me._ " He huffed in his overly quiet voice.

“What?” Sr. looked down at Saito, having barely heard what the man said.

" _I know, unbelievable…_ " came the quiet reply.

“How could they have replaced you? You’re the best suit maker in the city that I know of.”

Saito gestured to the screen. " _Well I didn't design those. I don't like black for a hero_." He shook his head.

“I agree… it’s too dark really.” Sr. crossed his arms. “Well, if you didn’t make those suits, and neither Kotetsu nor my son notified you about this, I’d say something big happened to them, and there’s a certain someone who may have figured out what happened to us.”

" _I also hadn't been aware that Wild Tiger had been cleared to return to work…_ "

“Something is obviously going on here. I think it’s safe to assume that my son and Kotetsu weren’t successful in trying to talk to their friends.” Sr. sighed and shook his head.

" _It can't be Tiger._ " Saito shook his head, " _His balance isn't that good yet, and even I am still working on modifying the leg of his suit to accommodate the loss of his leg._ "

“I don’t know what has happened, but it needs to stop, and we should be the ones to stop it.”

" _What are you planning?_ "

“Well… I’m no hero, but there are other heroes who will be willing to help us, plus Em is a NEXT, so maybe she can use her power to help wrestle Barnaby and Kotetsu down.”

Saito hummed in thought, the sound almost a normal volume as he glanced around his lab. " _You have full access to my lab to create whatever you need. I will also lend my own expertise to the project. It may be time for a new hero or two to make a surprise appearance._ "

Sr. smiled and patted Saito’s shoulder. “I think it’s definitely time for a new hero.”

"Well then, what are you men sitting around for?" Emily said standing in the doorway, a hand up and small sparks igniting at her fingertips and reflecting in her determined eyes, "Lets get to work."

 

* * *

 

Kotetsu moaned, stretching his body out before rolling over and curling up into Barnaby's side with a happy hum, his nose nuzzling soft, messy curls. "Awake, little Bunny?"

Barnaby grunted, barely awake and still tired. “Am now,” he grumbled.

"Sorry, you're normally up first." Kotetsu chuckled, his strong arms pulling the taller man in closer.

“Tired,” the blond mumbled, hiding his face, intending to fall back asleep.

Kotetsu pushed out his bottom lip in a pout, "But today's our first morning being engaged. I thought we could go make breakfast together."

Barnaby yawned. “Okay, I’ll get up.” He sat up slowly, the blankets falling off his figure as he reached up to stretch.

"I'll make it worth it. Promise." Kotetsu grinned, sliding to press a kiss to Barnaby's hip before he also sat up.

“I’d hope so.” Barnaby smiled a little at the kiss as he glanced at Kotetsu.

"I'll give you a little more time to wake up. I gotta pee, anyway—where's my leg?" He muttered to himself, looking around the bed.

“Did you forget where you put it again?”

"Maybe? I normally sleep with it leaning against the nightstand so I can get it easily if I need to get up in the middle of the night, but…did it fall and roll under the bed?"

“Maybe we went a little hard last night.” Barnaby chuckled as he stood up and moved over to where Kotetsu was looking.

The older man's cheeks flushed, "I do feel it this morning." Kotetsu admitted, laying on his stomach and listing the blankets to try to look under the bed.

“You see your leg under there?” Barnaby nudged Kotetsu’s side with his foot.

"No…" he sighed and dropped the blanket before sitting up, his good leg curled under him. "Man, what did I do with it?"

“You didn’t leave it in my car did you?”

"And how would I get in here without it? You didn't carry me."

“I don’t know.” Barnaby shrugged. “Maybe Dad did something with it.”

Kotetsu frowned, "I don't think I like the idea of him stealing off with my prosthetic leg in the middle off the night. A bit creepy to think about, really."

“Well I don’t have any other explanations as to why we both can’t find it.”

Kotetsu sighed, his shoulders slumping. "It'll be hard to get to the kitchen and cook without it… I'm sorry, Bunny, I woke you up for nothing."

“It’s okay, I still love you.” Barnaby crouched down and kissed Kotetsu’s cheek with a smile.

"Kotetsu sighed, "Help me to the bathroom at least? I still need to pee."

“Of course.” Barnaby picked up Kotetsu, carrying him to the bathroom with a smile on his face. “Need help standing up?”

"Well, my balance isn't the best with just one leg. No peeking, though!"

“Aww, no fun.” The blond chuckled.

"Pervy Bunny." Kotetsu teased. He relieved himself with his fiancé for balance support and then washed his hands. "What is the plan for the day, anyway?" he asked as he dried his hands.

"Maybe a movie or two. We could go out for dinner."

"That sounds nice." Kotetsu approved.

"We could even discuss wedding plans now."

"Go over venue ideas? Color scheme? Time of year?"

"I think the colors should be pink and green. I don't know why I just think they suit us."

"Like Easter colors?" Kotetsu snickered.

"So... Spring wedding then?" Barnaby smirked. "Easter wedding even?"

Kotetsu gave a wicked grin, "Just me with my Easter _Bunny_."

"Perhaps I should wear big bunny ears."

"Tail, too." Kotetsu said, reaching around to pinch Barnaby's butt cheek.

Barnaby chuckled. "Easy there, tiger. You'll get me excited."

"Would that be a bad thing? We have nowhere to be."

"You are right. But maybe we should go back to my place. I know Dad loves when I stay at his place, but I don't want to bother him much more."

"I suppose you're right. But we will need to find my leg."

"I'm not sure." Kotetsu sighed, "I don't see my cane anywhere either."

"I don't remember where we were yesterday... But maybe we left them wherever we were then. My memory is kinda fuzzy."

"Mine, too, actually…" Kotetsu frowned.

“I’m sure we’ll remember after breakfast. Come on, let’s get dressed. I think Dad is still here.”

"Alright, just toss me my clothes and I can wiggle into them."

Barnaby laughed as he handed the man his clothes. “I can still help you, you know. You don’t have to dress yourself if you’re having trouble.”

"I'm capable. Besides, I prefer you helping me out of them rather than into them."

“Later, my love. Later we will do that.” Barnaby pulled his pants on, then his t-shirt.

"I didn't mean now." Kotetsu chuckled, pulling on his sock before his pants.

“Obviously.” Barnaby moved to help Kotetsu into his shirt, buttoning it up and then kissing his nose.

Kotetsu rolled his eyes and leaned back using his arms as support as he let his future husband button up his green shirt.

“Good boy.” The blonde smirked. “Now let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

"Just help me up and we can go down to the kitchen." Kotetsu said, hooking his arm around Barnaby's shoulders to help pick himself up off the bed.

The two made their way to the kitchen, where Maverick was busy cooking up breakfast for the three of them. He heard the two younger men approach, and he turned with a smile. “Good morning boys. Hungry for anything in particular?”

"I'm not picky, sir." Kotetsu shrugged as Barnaby helped lower him into a chair at the table.

“You know how I am,” Barnaby said with a smile, sitting next to Kotetsu.

“Good, I have some of Barnaby’s favorites here, so I hope you like them too.” Maverick dished up two plates of eggs and pancakes.

"Oh, I'm sure I will." Kotetsu said in a lovesick tone as he gazed at Barnaby.

Barnaby smiled at Kotetsu, leaning in for a quick kiss.

Maverick chuckled. “Well, when you two are done looking at each other, here’s your food.” He set the plates in front of them, along with a container of syrup.

"I suppose I could tear my eyes away for pancakes."

“Me too.” Barnaby grabbed the bottle of syrup first, pouring a good amount over his breakfast.

"Oh, by the way," Kotetsu said as he waited his turn for the sticky sweet topping, "I plan to officially make your son my husband soon. I hope that's alright."

Maverick looked up quickly. “Really now… I can’t say I saw this coming.”

Kotetsu just gave a stupid grin and a shrug, "Bunny asked last night."

“Did he now? Well I suppose it’s my place to say congratulations to you both.” Maverick smiled and nodded.

“Thanks, Dad.” Barnaby chuckled and kissed Kotetsu’s cheek as he passed the syrup.

"I'm glad to have your blessing." Kotetsu smiled with a nod before dousing his pancakes in the syrup.

“And I am glad to give it. Just don’t go breaking my boy’s heart, you hear?” The old man reached forward to pat Kotetsu’s shoulder.

"Never, sir." Kotetsu looked over at Barnaby, "Bunny seems to fill an empty part of my heart perfectly."

“Glad to hear it. I’m sure the same could be said of you to my dear Barnaby.”

Barnaby nodded happily. “Kotetsu does seem to fill a place in my heart I never knew was empty.”

"Sorry I can't help your son give you grandkids, though." Kotetsu laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'd like kids but I suppose it's impossible to get pregnant…"

“Adoption is always a possibility,” Barnaby spoke up. Just because we can’t physically have kids doesn’t mean we can’t ever have them in general.”

"But pregnant bellies are cute and round."

“Yes, but we’re both men. And we should both know from biology class in school that men can’t physically have babies.”

"That's the disappointing part of being gay."

“Not necessarily disappointing. We just get to have kids in a different way.”

"Without round bellies." Kotetsu pressed his point.

“Yes, without. I don’t know why it bothers you since you’re gay.”

Kotetsu shrugged, "I feel like such things are important."

“If you say so.” Barnaby shoved a large bite of pancake into his mouth.

"It's just something I feel deep down." Kotetsu sighed, "But it's not like it's going to affect my love for you."

“Good. I would hope that something as small as this wouldn’t ruin our love.”

"Of course not. Even if Bunny would look super cute…" he teased, obviously joking.

“Well that would clearly not happen, seeing as I declared myself the dominant one.” Barnaby chuckled.

Kotetsu choked on a bite of pancake, his face red.

Barnaby continued eating as if nothing had happened. “Just stating the facts.”

"Your dad is here!" Kotetsu said, mortified after he swallowed his bite properly.

“I’ve heard worse from him, trust me.”

"Not the point…" Kotetsu hid his red face in his hands.

Barnaby chuckled. “Relax, Dad doesn’t care. Unless it’s bothering him and  his work, he doesn’t care.”

"He still didn't need to know…"

“I’ll forget I even heard anything,” Maverick reassured. “Eat up. You don’t want a cold breakfast do you?”

Kotetsu pouted, returning to his breakfast for a moment before changing the subject.

"By the way…you haven't by any chance seen my leg laying around, have you? Couldn't find it this morning."

“Your leg? Well… I can’t say that I have. Have you checked your room completely?”

"As much as I could, Bunny helped a little. But normally I keep it within reach of the bed when I sleep, but it wasn't there or under the bed this morning."

“You didn’t lose it one your way here last night did you?”

"I don't even remember when I got here…"

“You can Barnaby arrived last night a little late. You both were tired and I had separate rooms set up for you two to sleep in.” Maverick took a seat across from Barnaby and Kotetsu, resting his chin in his palm.

"Still don't remember that. I remember waking up when Bunny joined me in my room."

“Yeah I don’t remember much either,” Barnaby said.

“Well, you two did seem a little out of it,” Maverick said. “Maybe you’ll remember eventually.”

"Maybe. I still need to find my leg. I don't want to go back to using a wheelchair."

“We’ll look again after breakfast,” Barnaby said.

Kotetsu nodded and sighed, "Still, I don't like how it's disappeared so suddenly."

* * *

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pure coincidence that we are updating this story after so long right after the official T&B announcement! We had this sitting in the update queue for a while and it's turn came up. I am, however, updating a few hours early because of the announcement! The hype is real.
> 
> However, we also have a confession to make. This fic was supposed to be a few chapters longer, however, when we sat down to finish writing this we found that we simply weren't as into it as we used to be, and it became difficult. So, we feel bad about it, but we did rush the ending, squeezing at least three chapters worth of planned content down into one. As such there will be a few loose ends to this story, and we apologize, but we decided a rushed ending was better than abandoning it. You are still getting the planned ending, just condensed and lacking in detail. We have it finished and it'll be posted in a few days. Maybe after the new anime content comes out we'll get our T&B writing mojo back and come back to this project and give you the ending you deserve as readers, or we'll just write something fresh and new. but for now, we apologize and hope you readers understand and are somewhat satisfied with next chapter. Thank you for staying with us over the long break where we didn't update this.


	26. Chapter 26

It took weeks of hard work, but finally they had finished Emily's suit. Kotetsu and Barnaby were still missing, yet they seemed to appear normally on Hero TV, always in their new suits, always with their faceplates down. It wasn't them, they were sure of it. Even the other heroes thought so as the hero duo never even seemed interested in speaking with them. It was out of character, but it was enough to fool the public.

The production of Emily's suit had been set back at one point when Kaede was working with Emily and suddenly started sparking, causing damage to a component of the suit. It was soon discovered that the girl had developed her powers and seemed to copy a person's power when she touched them. Kaede was then pulled aside by the heroes and taught to better control her powers as the Brooks' and Saito also created a small suit for her. She had been too stubborn in insisting that she help as a hero, and they decided it'd be safer to give her a proper suit than risk her rushing in without protection at all.

Emily and Kaede stood together in front of a mirror, each supporting their suits. Kaede's looked a lot like her father's with the green and white theme, only more feminine and had cat ears rather than the green horn Kotetsu's had. After all, she had chosen the hero name of 'Copy Cat' and the ears were a good design for antennas so she could stay in contact with Saito and the other heroes. Emily's suit was a simple white with silver lightning bolts inlayed both for looks and in key points to conduct her electric sparks through safely.

Kaede grinned, "Dad will be so happy to see me looking more like Wild Tiger than Barnaby." She happily said, turning around to look at her backside.

"Remember, you are to stay close to me or the other heroes. No running off on your own." Emily said.

"I know. As long as I get to save my dad!"

"You'll be his hero." Emily smiled, "But now we wait for news from the investigation the other heroes have been doing. Can't get started if we don't know where to look."

Kaede nodded.

Saito approached the two, his megaphone attached to his helmet as he came up to them. “You two ready to go? We just got new information that the Tiger and Barnaby stand-ins are about to reappear.”

Kaede gripped a fist and nodded, "No one impersonates my dad and gets away with it!"

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The man waved his hand for the two to follow him. “Come on. You two should get a head start if you’re going to catch them.”

Kaede nodded and hurried after him, followed closely by Emily. But before they got to Barnaby and Kotetsu's speeder, Kaede found herself trapped in her grandmother's arms.

"You be careful, dear." She said with a kiss to the girls forehead.

"I will, don't worry! I'm my dad's girl!"

"That's why we should worry." Her uncle chuckled.

“Kaede,” Emily called. “We really need to get going. If we’re going to catch your father and my son, this has to go exactly as we planned.”

"See? I need to go now. You can finish your hugging when I get back—hopefully with dad!" she said, pulling away and hopping into the side car of the speeder.

“Be safe!” Anju called out to the both of them as she watched them ride away. She bought an old hand up to her mouth in worry.

Emily kept a sharp eye on the road, weaving between cars and other vehicles as she moved them to the rendezvous point. She looked more focused than she had ever been, even when working for Maverick, the mad man that had held her, her husband, and poor Kaede hostage until they escaped. It had been a rough night. Escaping a prison, reuniting with family, and then losing family once more all in the course of just a day, it was all very heavy on the heart. Emily was praised for being as strong as she was by her husband, but it still didn’t hide the fact that her mission with Kaede was a dangerous one, and it was one to test the strength of the heat for sure. Emily felt the lump in her throat grow larger.

Kaede, however, was having an enjoyable ride, hands up as the air flew by.

Until, however, she saw the figure parading around as Wild Tiger, standing proudly on one side of Maverick, the fake Barnaby on the other side as the villain addressed the gathered crowd and cameras of Hero TV. That's when the joy fell away, leaving a determined preteen.

The other heroes were also mixed around in the crowd on security detail for the announcement, or at least, that was their official role. Secretly, they were in place to help take down maverick with the proof they had gathered.

Emily parked the bike and climbed off, making sure her helmet was on tight and protecting her identity. She took a deep breath before turning to Kaede. “You ready, sweetie?”

The girl nodded and took a deep breath, "Anything to save Dad and Barnaby."

“Alright, stick close to me then.” Emily turned to face the crowd and began walking through it to get to the imposter heroes standing beside Maverick. Her heart began to race as she walked calmly.

Kaede stuck close, eyeing the crowd around them as they moved until a face caught her attention and she halted with a gasp.

Cis. Standing with an emotionless look on her gentle face.

"Um…" She reached out to touch Emily's arm, only to find she had been separated from the woman.

Emily was moving closer to the imposters, clearly focused on nothing but the mission. Otherwise, Kaede would not have been lost from her side. Thankfully, Blue Rose was close by and bumped next to Kaede to reassure her. “What is it,” she asked in a low voice.

"That girl in the dress…that's the robot the Brooks' had been working on. I had seen her when I was kidnapped… We had to leave her behind during the escape, which means…"

“She’s working for the enemy,” Karina finished. “She’s probably spying on us if she recognizes faces.”

"I don't know. She was designed to work in hospitals saving lives, but Wartface wanted her to be turned into a weapon…"

"We should prepare for the worst. Keep you eyes and ears open, and I'll be close by." Karina looked around as she kept moving.

"I just…have a bad feeling about this…" The girl said, moving forward.

“Don’t worry. Keep your wits about you and you’ll be fine,” Sky high said as he moved past Kaede in an inconspicuous way. “Keep moving forward.”

"What would Dad do..?" she muttered to herself, glancing back at Cis.

The robot girl looked at Kaede with piercing eyes. She said nothing, didn’t even move as if she might attack, just stood there. Watching. Waiting.

Emily blended into the crowd as she moved ever closer to the fake heroes. She was unknown to those around her, but those she had passed began murmuring, wondering if she was a new hero or just someone in a costume. The costume was too similar to design as Wild Tiger’s and Banaby’s suits. So similar the style was easily recognized by those who had seen her. Questions rose up, but still Emily remained hidden in the crowd.

And then it happened. An explosion amidst the crowd and immediately stirring up a panic as people screamed and began to run. Emily and the Wild Tiger and Barnaby imposters were instantly on high alert, searching the crowd for any abnormalities. Their sensors locked onto Cis, who was in flames. She had been the source of the explosion.

The heroes all leapt into action, trying to guide the crowd to safety and save them from being trampled.

Another explosion, another burning robot.

Emily however used the distraction to leap forward and approach Maverick and the imposter heroes. She ran through the chaotic crowd and jumped up to where her targets were. She was thankful her helmet covered her face completely, because she was frankly scared as hell and didn’t have a plan for after she made it to the imposters.

"Halt!" Barnaby's voice sounded from the imposter as he held up a hand to stop her. "You are not a recognized city hero. Remove yourself from this stage."

“I think not,” she replied with a steady voice. “You’re the one who’s not a city hero.”

"I am B. Brooks Jr. I am a hero." Behind him, the Wild Tiger was rushing Maverick off stage and away from the chaos.

Emily caught the movement and activated her power, sparks flying from her suit as she reached her hand out. "Mr. Maverick, don't move!"

"That voice…" he stopped and turned around, "Emily?"

"Mrs. Brooks to you," she spat. "What have you done with my son?"

"Emily, what are you doing dressed like that. Come home." He smirked as he held out a hand to her.

"I'm warning you... Where is my son?" More sparks flew from her suit.

"He's well, come, I'll take you to him."

"If he was well he would have come home to me and his real father days ago! Tell me what the hell you've done to him!"

"Our son is fine and likely wheeling his fiancé to safety."

"He is not your son--- did you say fiancé?" Emily let her hand drop to her side, the sparks subsiding a little.

"You have missed much while away, Emily my dear."

Emily took a deep breath. "You're playing your games again, Maverick, and I don't like it. You make these two fake heroes and make them replace my son and his partner. You're a sick man, and I hope you get what you deserve soon."

"No, you made them, my dear."

“I did not! You took the design for Cis and manipulated it to make these monsters!” Emily put a hand on the fake Barnaby’s shoulder, her eyes cold and sad. “This is not my son…”

"I never said it was. However, I wouldn't touch it if I were you." He said darkly, even as the fake hero reached up and grabbed her arm, twisting it to nearly it's snapping point.

The woman gave a shout and felt her knees buckle a little, but she pulled away with new sparks flying off her body, this time more concentrated on her arm. “What are you planning, you no good, rotten man?”

"This really isn't the place to have this discussion." He stated as another robot exploded in the crowd, all the cameramen for Hero TV focusing on getting shots of the Hero's in action and not paying any attention to the stage. No one was. "It's not safe here. The heroes will fall.

“The heroes will not fall today,” Emily said with a strong voice. “Someone else will, and that person is you.”

"Emily, take that ridicules thing off and come with me. We don't have much time left."

As Emily was about to speak again, a very familiar face came into view, the face of her son as he and Kotetsu arrived, Barnaby pushing Kotetsu along in a wheelchair. Emily felt her eyes grow wet, but she didn't dare move.

"Dad? What's going on here?" Barnaby looked around, worry on his eyes.

"You shouldn't be here, neither of you should!"

"We were worried, sir, we heard screaming and saw smoke and…" Kotetsu tried.

"So you run towards the danger? No, Barnaby, roll your fiancé out of here! I'm trying to get your mother."

"Mom?" Barnaby looked at the woman who looked like a hero.

Emily swallowed and nodded slightly, her hands twitching as she wanted to take her helmet off. She kept it on, however, to keep herself protected.

"I didn't know Mrs. Maverick was a hero…" Kotetsu said, tilting his head.

“Mr. Maverick… is that really my son?” Emily took a small step forward, cautious.

"Why would you doubt it? Come, Emily, we must get out of here!" he reached forward.

The woman tore off her helmet with a grunt, revealing her face soaked with tears. “Damn it, I’m not going with you! You did something to my son and you’re going to pay for it!”

"Damn it, Emily, we don't have _time_ for this!" he snapped his fingers, "Wild Tiger, some assistance, please?"

The fake Kotetsu stepped forward, picking Emily up and tossing her over his shoulder.

Sparks covered Emily’s whole body instantly, collecting at her hands, and she slapped the fake Kotetsu as hard as she could, releasing the energy from her hand.

Electricity sparked across his armor, but he remained unaffected, "Please do not resist being saved." He spoke, turning to lead the way to safety just as the ground shook, the giant robots that had attacked before making an appearance.

Barnaby felt himself jerk forward a little, feeling like he needed to jump into action to save his mother. “Dad, please, have Mom be set down…”

"You want her to be left behind to face that?" he gestured to the chaos that had preplaced the crowd. Heroes fighting robots, fire spreading in the streets.

"No, of course not! I just..." Barnaby shook his head and moved forward, tapping the fake Kotetsu's shoulder. "Let my mom go."

The fake hero just stared at him, making no movement to set her down.

Suddenly, Kotetsu's hair flipped over onto it's side, spilling him onto the ground as two smaller figures had been smacked through the air by one of the giant robotic monstrosities. Dragon Kid as on her feet in seconds, "So you want to play rough, do you? I'll show you rough!" She shouted, charging back into battle.

The other girl, however, was slower as she pushed herself up and gasped. "Dad!" she flung her arms around Kotetsu. Who sat on the ground confused at all that was happening.

"Dad?"

"It's me! Kaede!" the small hero's faceplate opened to show off her grinning face.

He blinked, not recognizing her, but she felt…familiar somehow.

"Dad?"

Barnaby glanced back at his fiancé, also feeling the girl looked familiar to him. But his attention was turned back to the fake hero, then he pulled back his hand and punched as hard as he could in Wild Tiger's faceplate.

"Barnaby!" Maverick scolded.

"Dad? Aren't you going to hug me? Or yell at me for doing something dangerous?" Kaede asked.

He tilted his head, "I'm sorry, but…I think…"

"You don't remember me?" the girl gasped, tears pooling in her eyes.

Barnaby ignored the old man and jumped back, arms up with fists in a defensive position. "Let go of my mother!"

"Kaede!" Emily struggled to get out of the iron grip holding her. "Touch Mr. Maverick!"

"What?" the girl looked at Emily whilst wrinkling her nose before remembering, "Oh yeah!" She pushed herself off of her father and ran at the man, smacking him hard across the face with her gloveless hand before leaping back. "Time to see what your powers are, Wartface!" she said, glowing blue, and then there was a flash of light when she gasped.

There was a brief moment if pause between everyone. Barnaby blinked and shook his head before his eyes widened. "What the--- who the hell are these guys?" He gestured to the fake heroes before looking at Maverick, his eyebrows lowering. "Maverick..."

Kaede stumbled onto her knees, feeling drained as Maverick, furious, marched towards Kaede.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my daughter!" Kotetsu shouted, lunging himself forward across the ground and grabbing the man's ankles, successfully bringing him down onto the ground where the one-legged man could get on top of him and pin him, ready to activate his powers if need be.

Barnaby turned back to the fake Kotetsu and punched harder than he did before, managing to loosen the grip on his mother and pull her to him. He hugged her tight, as she hugged him just as tight.

Emily then rushed to grab Kaede and pull her away from Maverick, allowing her son and Kotetsu to do their work as the actual heroes on the scene.

Kotetsu felt something in Maverick's pocket and he pulled it out. A remote of sorts. He frowned, examining it before flipping the red switch. Instantly, all the robots on the scene, including the fake heroes, deactivated.

"Well, that was easy, and proof that you are the mastermind behind all this." He stated as the Hero TV cameras captured the easy deactivation mid-fight and then turned towards him pinning Maverick down and holding the device.

Barnaby looked over his mother and Kaede, then he looked over Kotetsu before finally confronting Maverick. "Why? What did you hope to gain from all this?"

"Personally?" he glanced at Emily who sneered back.

"You never had a chance with me." She huffed.

"You're disgusting," Barnaby spat. "I trusted you. Now you'll be trusted by no one."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course he is! Because if you do anything funny I'll undo it right away!" Kaede huffed.

Barnaby turned his back on Maverick with a heavy sigh. “You’re not going to hut anyone like this again… I hope you rot in jail.”

The cops swarmed in quickly after Barnaby spoke his words, some helping Kotetsu up and moving him over to Barnaby.

Kotetsu sighed, leaning heavily against Barnaby without his prosthetic leg to help him. "Seems we have a lot to talk about…Mostly you, Kaede, and your powers? When did that happen? And who let you use them to do dangerous stuff? You're still too young!"

"Dad…"

He softened his smile, "But you did save me, my little hero. I'm so proud of you." He pulled her into a hug.

Barnaby smiled and looked to his mother, reaching out to pull her into a hug.

"Now, what was this I heard about you having a fiancé, Barnaby?" Emily asked her son.

"Fiancé?" Barnaby looked at Kotetsu, a dorky smile on his face. "Well... I guess I did propose to you, even though we were under Maverick's influence."

"And I did say yes…" Kotetsu said, scratching his chin, then he sighed, his face flushing, "And I do love you…do we keep the engagement?"

"I don't know why we wouldn't." The blond shrugged, hooking his arm around Kotetsu's hips. "I guess we have a wedding to planning now."

"I guess that means we are." He grinned then looked at Emily and Kaede, "Mrs. Brooks, I'd like to marry your son. Kaede, I'd like to make Barnaby your step daddy."

Emily smiled, putting her hand up to her mouth. "I think you two getting married would be lovely. You're perfect for each other."

"I suppose I can be okay with it…as long as I don't get stuck being the flower girl!" Kaede said, crossing her arms, but smiling anyway.

Kotetsu chuckled, "Well then, I think we have more family to announce this to."

* * *

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoyed it!  
> Again, sorry for the rushed ending on this one.


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